The Family Man Revisited
by FranklinPuppers
Summary: Sequel to "The decline of two doctors or the family man"- Wilson tries to pursue a relationship with Cuddy while still dealing with a disabled Greg. A bit more fluffy than the first. Rated M to be safe. I suggest reading the first fic before this one.
1. Chapter 1

**So I am finally satisfied with my first three chapters to my sequel to "The Decline of Two Doctors or The Family Man"...if you haven't read this fic yet I would suggest doing so because it will make this story make much more sense. Hopefully I didn't take so long that those of who have read the first one have already forgotten about it. Sorry it took so long for me to post this, it took me three rewrites to be satisfied with what you see here. Hopefully you find it to b an okay read as well....please let me know what you think so far! If too many people don't like the idea then I probably won't continue with it. **

**Oh and disclaimer says : I don't own any of the House MD characters or cast, which is sad for me. Also any of the 'name-brands' that appear anywhere in this fic are not mine either. The closest I come to owning any of these is having some in my poorly stocked cupboards.  
**

"You're sure it worked?" Wilson stood starting at Foreman incredulously. "And no side effects?"

Foreman smiled widely. "You doubt my skills as a surgeon? I'm honestly surprised the doctors at Princeton General didn't catch this sooner. We could have had it fixed months ago."

"It's not that it's just…so hard to believe after all we've been though. Can I go see him?"

"He's waiting in recovery. He's been asking for you."

Wilson wiped a tear from his eye as he thanked Foreman and hurried into the recovery room. "Hey buddy."

"Mine Wilson." House smiled groggily.

"How's it feel to have your legs back pal?" Wilson felt his eyes tearing up again. He sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned over to give his friend a hug.

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"I need a vacation." Wilson sighed, kicking his feet up onto his desk. He was trying to do paper work and keep an eye on an overenthusiastic House who sat tossing farm animal shaped puzzle pieces across his office. The office was littered with toys, crayons, and half empty juice boxes. Wilson hadn't had the courage to try to hire another babysitter as of yet so what was once a very professional looking space now resembled a makeshift daycare.

"Pig, cow, duck, sheep." House recited as the brightly colored shapes flew through the air and hit the side of the desk. A pile of discarded toys surrounded the older man, who was easily bored and distracted.

"I'm almost done buddy. Just give me…ouch!" Wilson frowned as one of the wooden pieces bounced off the side of his head. "Okay, that's enough Greg."

"Horse." House giggled, pointing to the puzzle piece that now lay on Wilson's desk.

Wilson forced himself to smile. "Good job. That is indeed a horse. I'm almost done here okay? Why don't you color?"

A box of crayons and a coloring book joined the other items on the floor with a thump. "Boring."

"I am going to strangle the person who taught you that word." The oncologist got up and turned on a little TV perched on a stand in the corner. "Look Greg, Sponge Bob is on."

"Stupid sponge." House pouted.

"Okay. You don't like the sponge anymore." Wilson turned off the TV. "How about your Gameboy?"

"No." House stuck out his lower lip and crossed his arms.

"More puzzles?"

"Boring."

"Why don't you play with Dusty?" The spaniel perked up from where he had been laying in a basket in the corner at the sound of his name.

"No Dusty."

"Now you're just being difficult. If you're just going to sit there pouting I'm going to take all of your free playtime off your schedule." An office chair squeaked as Wilson sat back down. There was a sniffle as blue eyes filled with tears.

Wilson sighed again. "Okay. Let's go home." Wilson often wondered why Cuddy didn't fire him. He had been leaving a half an hour early ever since the day he had fired the babysitter.

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Wilson stared at House's schedule on the fridge and tried to remember the last time he had gone out and done something alone. House's daily routines ate up most of the hours of the day. Wilson had broken down everything down into half hour segments with everything from breakfast to bath time becoming as predictable as airtimes of the cartoons House was allowed to watch every morning from eight thirty to nine pm while he ate his breakfast. The only variations in Wilson's day were when he was at work and even then it was pretty consistent. He sighed to himself as he finished zipping up his jacket. It was noon and on his days off this meant it was time to go to the park.

"I feel stuck." Wilson admitted as he sat watching House limp after Dusty with a tennis ball. The sun shone brightly through the trees and little birds chirped merrily in the distance. A light breeze ruffled Wilson's hair, which was in need of a trim.

"Stuck how? Stuck with House?" Cuddy asked. "Rachel, come back pumpkin. Hang on." The dean of medicine guided her daughter back to the blanket they had been sitting on. "Here. Have a cookie."

"I don't want a cookie." Wilson grumped.

"Not you. Rachel. Here sweetie." Rachel smiled and took the chocolate chip cookie her mother held out to her. "So you feel stuck?"

Wilson sighed. "Not stuck with House. Just…stuck in the same routine. I do the same things at the same times every day. It's been great for Greg but I just feel…I don't know. I want a change of scenery. I want to go on a vacation or try out a new restaurant or even just go see a movie. One that doesn't have a talking sponge or dancing animals as main characters."

"So go. Nothing's stopping you."

"Nothing?" Wilson raised an eyebrow and pointed to the older man who was now sitting on the edge of the blanket crumbling a cookie into the grass.

"Bring him with you. I take Rachel along with me all of the time."

"Yeah." Wilson replied sarcastically. "That would be a real vacation. We'd go somewhere warm and end up in a hotel room watching Sponge Bob in Spanish and trying to keep crayons from melting."

"Fine. Why don't we go to dinner tonight? Somewhere nice. I'll have the nanny come watch Rachel and you find someone to watch Greg."

"Me?" House asked, pointing to himself.

Wilson glanced down at his watch. "It's one. Time for us to go."

"So I'll see you tonight around six?"

"Sure. Sounds nice."

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Chase was grinning ear to ear when he answered the door to Cameron's apartment. "I hear you and Cuddy have a hot date tonight."

"You heard wrong. It's just two friends having dinner." Wilson handed the younger doctor two heavy backpacks and a copy of Greg's daily schedule. "Lisa and I…"

"Have a lot in common. You are both busy doctors trying to cope with caring for another person. You both work in the same hospital and…"

"Are both just friends. Come on buddy." Wilson led Greg into the apartment. "I'll be back in two hours."

"No go Wilson!" Greg latched onto Wilson's sleeve. "No go!"

"You're going to have fun with Cameron and Chase." He motioned at House's former fellows who both stood smiling at their former boss. "And Dusty will be here." Dusty paused his investigation of the living room to give a wag of his tail.

"No go!" Greg flopped down on the floor.

"Look." Wilson pointed to a digital clock hanging above the couch. "See that clock?"

"No."

"What numbers are on the clock?"

Greg sniffed. "Five, three, 'O'."

"Zero buddy. 'O' is a letter. Five, three, zero. Now when that clock says seven, three, zero I'll be back to pick you up okay?"

"Seven, three, zero?" Greg pout turned into a smile.

"That's right." Wilson ruffled his friend's hair. "Now be good and give me a hug."

"Bye, Wilson." House's voice was muffled by his friend's dress shirt.

Cameron smiled. "He's doing a lot better isn't he?"

Wilson shrugged as he detached House's arms from around his waist. "He's good at memorizing things but I don't think he really understands many of the concepts yet."

"What do you mean?"

"I can point at a number and he knows the name of that number. But if I put nine cookies on a plate and asked him how many where there he would just stuff a bunch of cookies in his mouth."

"That sounds like Greg." Cameron laughed. "Have a nice date. We'll see you soon."

"It's not a date." Wilson grumbled as he made his exit.

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"I thought you were going to keep the damn cat in the bedroom." Fur flew as two blurs raced across the dining room nearly upsetting a chair. "Come here Dusty. Come here boy." One of the blurs slowed to reveal a heavily panting spaniel.

"Teddy was lonely." The second blur became a cat huddled under a chair hissing wildly. "Come here snookie-poo. Are you okay?"

"If I would have known you were going to talk to that thing like that I never would have let you bring him it home." Chase grimaced. The huge ginger tabby that was now settled in Cameron's arms let out a low hiss. "That creature is a devil."

Greg looked up from the table where he had been playing with oversized Duplo Legos. "Bad kitty?"

"That's right. Bad, nasty kitty." Chase agreed grinning. "Bad kitty needs to go back to the pet store."

"Teddy is not a bad kitty. Look Greg. Nice kitty."

"Bad kitty." Greg's eyes grew wide as the cat took a swipe at him. A Lego clattered to the floor only to be quickly retrieved by Dusty.

"You're scaring him." Chase chastised. "Put that thing back in the bedroom. Come on Greg. Do you want to play Halo?"

"Yay!" Brightly colored blocks were shoved out of the way as Greg hobbled towards the living room.

"He can't." Cameron reminded as she shoved a distraught feline into the bedroom. "Wilson's schedule…"

"Is insane. It plans out every minute of Greg's day. It must get boring." He turned to the older man. "Do you want to play blocks or play Halo with me?"

Greg was already sitting on the couch holding a video game control. "You play." He held up the second controller.

"Oh look at that." Cameron frowned at her boyfriend as Chase smiled back at her. "Come on Alley. It isn't going to kill him. Wilson will be back…actually he should be here by now. I guess he's enjoying his date."

"Mine win." House grinned at Chase as they started up the game.

"Yeah we'll see about that." Chase smiled back, praying that the game would keep Greg from noticing the time on the clock.

**Author' note: Since the general consensus at the end of the last fic was that everyone hated the fact that I paralyzed House's legs...I fixed it. How? Well let's just pretend that Foreman is a really great doctor who found something all of House's other doctors missed and leave it at that. =) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer goes here...**

"I am so sorry." A very sheepish looking Wilson tip toed into Cameron's dark living room. "I lost track of the time and…"

"Cuddy doesn't have a clock in her bedroom?" Chase smirked.

"We were at the restaurant. We started talking and lost track of time. Hey buddy." Wilson gently shook a pile of blankets on Cameron's couch. A head covered in messy brown hair popped out, blue eyes flashing with upset.

"Bad Wilson." Greg pointed at his friend accusingly.

"I am so sorry buddy. Did you have a good time?"

"Bad kitty." Greg's hand shot out from under the blanket and he pointed to a tiny scratch near his ring finger.

"Cameron's new cat is a jerk." Chase explained. "I told her to keep it in the bedroom but she kept letting it out. It got poor Dusty on the nose too." A furry head and floppy ears emerged from the other side of the blanket pile. "Other than that everything went fine. We had pasta for dinner and watched part of Lady and the Tramp. Greg is convinced that Lady is Dusty."

Wilson laughed. "He tends to think that any dog in a movie or on TV is Dusty." He paused. "I take it you didn't stick to the schedule?"

"Sorry." Chase answered simply.

"It's okay. We'll get back on track tomorrow. Going out was probably a mistake. When I'm not around everything gets thrown off and…well thanks for watching him."

"Did you have a good time?"

"We did. Come on buddy. Let's get you home okay?"

"Mine Wilson." Wilson took Greg's hand protectively in his own and led him out to the car.

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"I'm sorry Lisa, I just can't." Wilson stood at the sink doing dishing, trying to balance the phone under his chin. He glanced over at House who sat on the floor playing with magnetic numbers stuck to the fridge. "Greg seems really tired today and I think…I know what I said. I was being selfish. He does so much better….I know…I know…I know. Are you sure?...Okay. I'll see you soon."

"Five." House held up a bright purple number as Wilson hung up the phone.

"Good job buddy! What's this one?" Wilson pointed at a number closer to the bottom of the fridge.

"Two." Greg yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"Lisa and Rachel are going to be over soon. Are you going to be awake enough to see them or do you want to take a nap?"

Greg frowned. "No nap." He rubbed his eyes again and lay down on the floor. "No bed." Nails clicked on the tile as Dusty trotted over to sniff his master. The little dog moved closer and began to lick Greg's face. "Dusty!"

"Greg, sit up. If you flop around on the floor like that I'm going to think you need to be in bed." Wilson warned.

"No bed." Greg quickly sat back up, pushing Dust aside. "Mine Rachel!"

"I know you want to see Rachel. Why don't you go sit at the table? It's time for you to work on our letters."

"No letters." House wrinkled up his nose. "Boring."

"Letters aren't boring. They're…"

"Not as fun as going to see a movie." Cuddy entered the kitchen holding up four tickets. "It's a kid's movie but I thought it would still be fun. It should be short enough for Rachel and Greg to sit through."

"Lisa!" Greg smiled and limped over to give his former boss a hug.

"Hey sweetie. Do you want to go see a movie? We can have popcorn and…"

Wilson rubbed the back of his head. "Actually he can't have popcorn. He'll choke on it. It's on the list the doctor gave me of things he can't quite handle yet."

"That's okay. Rachel isn't supposed to have popcorn either. We'll get them some candy. Come on James. You know you want to get out of the house."

Wilson looked over at Greg who was practically jumping up and down with excitement. "Okay. Let's go."

"Great. Rachel is at home with her nanny. We'll stop by and pick her up."

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"We'll change your pants when we get home okay?" Greg sat in the back seat squirming in his soda covered pants.

"Okay." Cuddy conceded. "Maybe the soda wasn't the greatest idea but you have to admit they had fun." She peeked back at Rachel who was sound to sleep in her car seat.

"If throwing candy at the people in front of you and nearly getting kicked out of the theater is your idea of fun, then yeah. They had a blast."

Cuddy shook her head. "He threw one piece of candy. And they weren't going to kick us out. Half the kids in that theater were screaming. The movie was kind of scary for a children's film."

"I think Greg enjoyed it. I heard him laughing every time the dinosaurs almost trampled that little squirrel thing." Wilson turned back to Greg. "Did you like the movie buddy?"

Greg frowned and pointed at his pants. "Yuck."

"I know. We're almost home okay? I should have brought along a change of clothes and one of his sports bottles. He really shouldn't be drinking soda."

"Have you always been this much of a stick in the mud or is this a recent development?"

"Now you sound like House always did. He thought just because I liked to be prepared it meant I was boring. Not wanting to be stranded in the middle of nowhere with a flat and no flashlight doesn't mean I am boring. It just means I like to know things are covered if there's an emergency."

Cuddy laughed. "You're such a dork."

"You wouldn't be saying that if we got a flat right now." Wilson pointed out.

"No, I'd have you walk to a gas station and call a tow truck."

"Truck?" House looked out the window.

"Not monster trucks buddy. A tow truck. It's a truck that…"

"Helps cars when they're broken." Cuddy finished. "So people can get home. They take the car to the repair shop…"

"Car doctor." Wilson interjected.

"Car doctor so they can get all better."

"Truck." House murmured again as he began to stare out the window, eyes focused on nothing particular.

"Is he still doing that thing where he stares off into space?"

"Yeah. It's gotten a little better though. I still think he's just daydreaming. Do you want me to drop you and Rachel off at home or do you want to come in for dinner? I still have one of Rachel's booster seats in the kitchen if you want to stay."

"What's for dinner?" Cuddy smiled.

"I don't know. Greg what do you want for dinner?"

"Dusty." Greg mumbled as the little dog near his feet gently stirred in its sleep.

"Earth to Greg. Dinner? Greg?"

Greg's head quickly snapped around to face his friend. "Mine Wilson!"

"Hey pal. What do you want for dinner?" Wilson asked gently, trying to keep his eyes on the road.

"Mine pancakes?" Greg asked hopefully.

"Pancakes it is." Wilson confirmed. He turned to Lisa. "So are you staying for dinner?"

"After all I've heard about these pancakes you make? I wouldn't miss it."

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"Eggs." Two eggs dropped into a large mixing bowl. "Milk? No buddy! Just hand me the carton! Lisa? Can we have a paper towel?"

Lisa laughed and tossed a roll of paper towels at Wilson. "Quite the helper you've got there."

"I help." Greg said proudly as he dropped an unwrapped stick of butter into the bowl.

"Yes you do buddy. You're a big help. The butter goes in the pan remember? But let me do that. The pan is really hot. Why don't you go sit by Lisa and Rachel? You can show them the new books I got you."

House hobbled over to the table and retrieved a stack of books sitting next to the roll of paper towels. "Stupid sponge, Blue Clues, letters." He waved the books in front of Cuddy's face.

"Cool." She smiled. "Can you read any of those books?"

"Wilson reads books. Mine Wilson."

"We haven't got that far." Wilson confirmed. "But the some of the instructors he has been working with at the rehab facility think it's possible." He paused to mix the contents of the bowl in front of him. "He probably won't be reading Shakespeare anytime soon but Dr. Seuss isn't out of the question."

"That's amazing." Cuddy watched as Greg handed one of the books to Rachel.

"Not really. He has the intellect of a four year old. There are kids out there who learn to read at an early age. Everything he has done so far is right in his intellectual and emotional age range. How many pancakes do you think Rachel will eat?"

"Probably just one. So you think it's just because people have been working with him more?"

Wilson hesitated. "In the beginning I thought teaching him anything was a waste of time. But he seems to enjoy learning new things, so I'm willing to push him as far as he can go."

"Your attitude sure has changed. And I mean that as a compliment."

"Thanks." Wilson blushed, nearly spilling pancake batter on the floor. "Er...um…how many pancakes do you want?'

"I'll have two." Cuddy smiled softly.

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"So you'll see you tomorrow?" Cuddy said quietly as she pushed a sleeping Rachel out to the car.

"I don't know…I have to work and…"

"I know. I'm your boss remember? I'll see you at work tomorrow. Unless you were planning to call in sick?"

"No, no. Of course not. I'll see you at work. Tomorrow. Greg will be at therapy most of the day, then Cameron will take him to the library where he'll stay until I get off work."

"Isn't the library closed on Sunday?" Cuddy asked.

"It's a new program for people with special needs I enrolled him in. They read to them and play games and those sort of things. I'm not sure about it yet. Greg seems to hate everyone in his swim class and only gets along with a few of the patients at the rehab center. I don't really know how a group where he is expected to interact with the other members is going to work for him but I thought I'd give it a try."

"He gets along fine with everyone at the hospital. The nurses love him. His former staff loves him. Rachel loves him."

"The hospital staff gives him candy and lets him play with the equipment. The people in his groups swipe crayons from him and splash water in his face." Wilson pointed out.

"That's true. Well, I hope it goes okay for him. Thanks for dinner." Cuddy leaned in to give Wilson a hug. Before the two of them knew it their lips were touching in a soft kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

**Again with the disclaimer. Reviews are much appreciated! =) **

"Um…so." Wilson turned red as he almost bumped into Cuddy in the hall.

"Oh, hi. I was starting to think maybe you had called in sick."

"I wasn't avoiding you, just busy." The oncologist blurted out. He had spent most of his day trying to avoid his boss, going so far as to dart into the men's bathroom when he thought he had spotted her coming down the hall earlier.

"James, listen. We need to talk about last night." Cuddy motioned to her office. A reluctant Wilson trailed slowly behind and quietly shut the door behind them. "Look. I am really sorry about the whole thing. You are a really good friend and…"

"I feel the same way." Replied Wilson a little too quickly. "You're a great friend. I enjoy spending time with you. I wouldn't want to complicate things with…"

"You're busy taking care of Greg. I'm busy with Rachel. I just don't have time for…"

"I agree. I barely have time to sleep let alone…well I barely have time to sleep. You are a great friend and…"

"Do you want to go out for dinner tonight? This place just opened up downtown and I have been dying to try it."

"Umm..sure. Why not? Two friends can go out for dinner right? As friends, not a date."

"Exactly." Cuddy smiled. "By the way, the place is formal so you'll need to dress accordingly."

"I can do that. What time should I meet you?"

"Eight? And can you pick me up? My car wouldn't start this morning. I had to get Foreman to give me a ride to work. He's becoming surlier than House was by the way."

"That doesn't surprise me." Wilson laughed. "I'll see you around eight.

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"So another date with Cuddy?" Chase raised an eyebrow.

"It's not a date. It is just dinner. Where's Cameron?"

"She doesn't get off work for another hour. In the mean time Greg and I have a score to settle on Halo. Where is he anyway?"

"In the car. He had a bad day. He didn't have a very good time at his new group and he has had a runny nose all day. He's a little grumpy. I wouldn't be surprised if he just naps the entire time he's here."

"I bet I can cheer him up. Cameron rented another movie and she was planning on taking him to McDonalds for dinner." Chase smiled. "And you can tell him that I made sure bad kitty is locked up in the laundry room." A low growl came from the direction of the laundry room. Dusty let out a low growl and set out to investigate.

"Thanks Chase. I swear I will be on time to pick him up."

Chase laughed. "Don't worry about it. Just have a good time."

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"So what do you think?" Cuddy asked as they pulled in front of the restaurant.

"You look nice." Wilson smiled. Cuddy looked stunning in a red cocktail dress with matching shoes and handbag. Her hair was all done up and she had spent a half hour in the bathroom doing her make-up. Wilson couldn't help but peek over at her every few minutes as they drove to their destination.

"Not me." She laughed. "The restaurant." She eyeballed Wilson. He looked very dapper in the tuxedo he always wore to formal hospital benefits. His hair was slicked back and he even had taken the time to polish his dress shoes. "You look nice too."

"Thanks." Wilson blushed. "I um…" He stopped and cleared his throat. "…brought you flowers." Wilson reached into the backseat and retrieved a bouquet of assorted purple and blue wildflowers.

"I thought we agreed that this wasn't a date."

"It's not. Friends can buy each other flowers."

Cuddy's smile broadened. "So you and House used to buy each other flowers?"

Wilson coughed. "Once. I sent him flowers when he was in the hospital after the he got shot. He teased me about it for months."

"That sounds about right. Shall we?" Cuddy put out an arm.

"Ladies first." Wilson grinned widely as he held open the door to the restaurant. Soft violin music and the smell of fine cuisine drifted out into the street as Wilson tried to discreetly give his boss the once over while she sauntered through the entry way. Following closely behind her the brown eyed man couldn't help but think that this was going to be a great night.

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"He's sick. We need to call Wilson." Cameron insisted. Greg lay on the couch wiping pathetically at his now very red nose with a tissue. A huge pile of tissues lay on the coffee table along with rejected glasses of now cold tea and warm orange juice. Dusty was curled up sympathetically by his master's feet, every now and again stealing a mournful glance at Chase or Cameron.

"He's fine. He just has a cold." Chase rolled his eyes. "You just want him to go home so you can let devil kitty out of the laundry room." Just then a pitiful yowl came tearing across the living room. Chase covered his ears. "Can't you shut him up?"

"Teddy's lonely. But that isn't why I want to send Greg home. He's sick. He should be at home in bed." House sneezed and sent snot flying all over the back of the couch. He reached out to grab his blanket but was quickly stopped by Cameron.

"No sweetie. Here, have another tissue."

"Ouch." House whined, shoving the tissue away. He rolled over and wiped his face on his already grimy teddy bear.

Cameron made a disgusted face as she pulled the bear away from the snuffling man. "Oh Greg! Now Jimmy Bear is going to need a bath." She turned the bear over and checked the tag. "At least it can go in the washing machine."

"Mine bear." House sniffed, wiping his nose again.

"The bear is fine Cameron. Let Wilson wash it later." Chase snatched the bear from his girlfriend's grip and handed it back to his pouting ex-boss. "Greg is fine too. Let Wilson enjoy his date."

"I'm taking his temperature. If he has a fever I am calling Wilson." The immunologist stomped off to the bathroom to retrieve a thermometer.

"Fine." Chase called after her. "But when Wilson shows up all pissed off I am telling him in was your idea to interrupt him."

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"How much did that bottle of wine cost?" Cuddy giggled as she tried to free the wine menu from Wilson's hand. The inside of the restaurant was even more impressive than the outside with its huge formal dining room, crystal chandeliers, and huge bunches of live roses in oriental vases on the tables. Tiny white icicle lights hung from the ceiling like tiny stars and made the whole room seem to twinkle.

"I'm paying." Wilson grinned back as he yanked his hand away. "How is it?"

"It tastes expensive." Cuddy laughed. "I wanted this to be my treat." The lights on the ceiling made her hair shine and her eyes sparkle. Wilson found himself having to force himself not to stare. "Are you okay? You keep staring at your plate."

"Oh…um…yes. I'm fine. Better than fine. It's just been awhile since I've seen dishware that wasn't made out of plastic or decorated with race cars."

"I know what you mean. The other day I was so tired I reached into the cupboard and started to pour my coffee into one of Rachel's bottles. I'm starting to think my whole house smells like baby power. Do you think I can play it off as one of those Glade Plug-ins?"

Wilson laughed. "Maybe. I…" He paused as his cell phone rang. Looking down he rolled his eyes. "It's Cameron."

"Aren't you going to answer it."

Wilson sighed. "Hello?...Are you sure?...Have you tried giving him cold medicine?...I really think…Okay…Okay…I'll be right there." He hung up the phone with a frown. "Cameron is convinced that Greg is dying and wants me to go pick him up."

"Is he okay?" Panic crossed Cuddy's face.

"He has a cold. You'd think with two doctors in the house they could deal with it." Wilson pursed his lips and stared down at the table. "I am so sorry Lisa. I'm going to have to go get him."

She reached out over the table and put a hand on Wilson's tux clad shoulder. "Don't worry about it James. Go take care of Greg. We'll do this another time."

"Thanks Lisa." The very disappointed man stood up and gave his boss a quick hug. "Don't you need a ride home?"

"I'm a big girl. I can take a cab. I'll see you tomorrow at work. Tell Greg I hope he feels better."

Wilson heaved a sigh as he made his way back out to the car alone. He wasn't quite sure what he was hoping for that night but he knew that whatever it was he sure wasn't going to be getting it now.

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"I am so sorry Wilson. He has a fever and he's miserable." Cameron motioned to House who lay on the couch next to an ever growing pile of tissues. The older man shivered under a pile of gunk encrusted blankets, his grime covered teddy bear tucked tightly under one arm. Even poor Dusty now had crust embedded in his ears. "His nose is all stuffed up and I think he has a sore throat. I tried to give him some orange juice but he spat it right back out."

Wilson pursed his lip. "Sounds like a cold. I'll take him home and put him to bed." He moved closer to the couch. "Hey buddy. Not feeling so hot?"

"Ouch." House grabbed Wilson arm and pulled it to his face. The oncologist frowned as he pulled back his now mucus covered tux sleeve. "Yuck."

"Yuck is right." Wilson scowled as he tried to clean up his sleeve with a tissue. He turned to Cameron. "Thanks for watching him. See you at work tomorrow. Come on buddy." Dragging a blanket behind him, House limped out to the car sneezing all the way.

"Mine Wilson." The blue eyed man tried to reach out for his friend again as he was buckled into the front seat of Wilson's van. Wilson quickly pulled away.

"Oh no you don't. Here." House flinched at Wilson took a handkerchief from his tux pocket and dabbed at his sore nose. "Sorry buddy. We'll stop at the drugstore on the way home okay."

House let out a huge yawn. "Mine candy?"

"Not exactly. But we'll get you some stuff to help you feel better."

Wilson hoped House would fall asleep in the van but no such luck. His friend alternated between whining and sneezing all the way to the drug store. By the time they reach their destination Wilson could understand why Cameron had called him to come pick up Greg. Sick and very stuffed up, Greg was not only grumpy but seemed leave a disgusting crust on everything his hands came into contact with even though Wilson was constantly dabbing at his friend's nose as he tried to drive. Parking the van, Wilson jumped out and retrieved House's flame decorated wheelchair from the back.

"Mnnn." Greg whined as Wilson secured him in the chair. He failed his hand wildly until Dusty jumped out of the back seat and slid his teddy bear onto his lap.

"Sorry Dusty. You don't have your vest on." House stuck out his lower lip as he watched Wilson close his dog back in the van. "Okay buddy. Let's make this quick."

"Dusty." Greg continued to pout as Wilson zipped him up and down the aisles tossing Vicks Vapor Rub, Nyquil, eucalyptus oil laced foaming bath, and a large stuffed dog into a basket balanced on the handlebars of his chair. The younger man paused in front of a display of juice.

"What juice do you want?" He motioned at the display. "Apple or red?"

"Apple." Greg's nose was so stuffed up it sounded more like 'abble'. He grabbed the bottle of juice before Wilson could stop him, sending half the display tumbling into the aisle.

"Oh Greg." Wilson quickly put back the juice before anyone could notice and pushed his friend to the checkout lane.

"What's wrong with him?" Frowned the young girl at the register. She looked at House like he was a dirty pile of laundry.

"He has a really bad cold." Wilson explained as he retrieved the stuffed dog from a bag and handed it to House who smiled in delight.

"He's in a wheelchair for a cold?" She grimaced.

"Oh, no. He has a bad leg and can't always keep up." Wilson rolled his eyes as he took the rest of the bags. "Have a nice day." He shook his head to himself as he pushed House back out to the car. "Don't worry about that girl buddy. What was her problem anyway?" House was too focused on his new stuffed dog to notice anything else.

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A thick methanol and eucalyptus laced steam filled the air in the bathroom as Wilson finished filling the tub. House sat on the edge of the toilet watching as Wilson turned off the faucet and plunked a rubber duck and a toy boat into the warm water. The whole bathroom had become humid, helping to clear House's nose. Dusty refused to come in, the smell of the foaming bath irritating his sensitive doggy snout.

"Is that helping?" Wilson asked as he helped his friend into the tub. House replied by sliding back into the warm bath and taking a deep breath. He basked in the fragrant water until Wilson finally held out a thick towel, signaling that bath time was over. The brown haired man shivered as he followed Wilson into his bedroom and let him remove his towel.

"I know this stuff doesn't smelling very good." Wilson apologized as he smeared vapor rub on his friend's chest. "But it will help keep your nose clear."

"Yuck." House made a face and pushed Wilson's hand away.

"It's less yuck that being covered in snot. Which jammies do you want?" Two pairs of pajamas dangled in front of House's face. He lazily pointed at one. "Your blue ones?"

"Mine blue." Greg confirmed as he put up his arms to allow Wilson to pull a blue flannel pajama shirt over his head. He moved over to the bed and sat patiently as his friend finished dressing him. "No bed."

Wilson looked down at his friend's red nose and realized that even after the bath and the rub Greg would probably be too uncomfortable to sleep. He didn't want to use the Nyquil unless he had no other choice. "Do you want to sit out on the couch and watch a movie with me?"

"Mine Simba?" Greg started grabbing stuffed animals and a pillow off the bed.

"Yeah, sure bud. We can watch the Lion King." Wilson groaned inwardly and made a note to buy other DVDs the next time they were at the store. He pulled some of the blankets off of the bed and tucked Greg onto the couch, being careful to put a box of tissues in House's reach.

"Wilson." As the movie started Wilson could feel the couch shift has both Dusty and Greg snuggled closer to him. Soon Greg had rearranged the pillows so he head was resting up again Wilson's side and Wilson's sleeve in easy reach to use as a tissue. Wilson looked down at the pile of stuffed animals that had somehow migrated their way into his lap. He was still dressed in his tux, though he had left the jacket in the bathroom on top of a pile of dirty towels.

"Hey buddy." Wilson sighed as one of the all too familiar lions bounded onto the screen. Definitely not how he had planned on spending his evening.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to everyone who had read and reviewed so far! You guys are all awesome! Disclaimer here and on with Chap. 4. Hopefully enjoy! **:)

Wilson woke to the sound of the alarm clock blaring from his bedroom. Rubbing his eyes, the oncologist tried to remember why he was sleeping on the couch still dressed in last night's tux outfit with the Lion King flashing across the TV screen. Spotting House snoozing on a blanket, the younger doctor quickly recalled the events of the night before. He had been up most of last night caring for a sick Greg and was now going to be late for work. "Greg, wake up buddy. We're late."

"Mnnn." Greg pushed away Wilson's hand and rolled himself up in the blanket. His nose was still running and an unattractive crust had built up under both of his nostrils.

"Crap, crap, crap! Come on buddy!" Wilson ran around the house frantically getting ready for work while Greg continued to slumber contently in his blanket on the living room floor. Dusty barked irritably as Wilson rushed past his bowl without filling it. "Come on Greg. Wake up! We've got to move!" The brown eyed man paused in front of his sleeping friend. "Buddy?"

Greg slowly slid open a blue eye and wiped at his stuffy nose. "Yuck."

Wilson knelt down on the floor next to his blanket encased friend. "You're still sick aren't you? I can't take you to work like this. Crap. What I am going to do?" He sat down and put his head in his hands. "I'm already late. I'm out of sick days. I'm going to have to call your school and see if they take you until I get off work."

"No!" Greg suddenly became animated at the sound of the word 'school'. Gripping tightly to Wilson's arm, he kicked the floor with his good leg sending the blanket flying across the room. "No! Please?"

Wilson freed himself from House's grip. "Sorry buddy, I don't have any other choice. I know you don't like it there." He tried to get House up off the floor but the older man kept foiling his efforts by going completely limp. "Fine. You want to be difficult? You can go in your pajamas."

"No!" House began to sneeze violently as Wilson hauled him out to the car, nearly forgetting to grab House's backpack and Dusty in his frustration. The younger man slammed the van door shut and ignored Greg's howling all the way to the Rehab Facility that he referred to as House's 'school'.

"So you can still watch him?" Wilson asked, blowing his nose. "I know I should have called ahead but I'm already running late for work."

"It's fine Dr. Wilson." The lady in reception smiled. "We'll just set Greg up in one of our residential rooms until you get off of work. Of course this will cost extra…"

"That's fine." He bent down and gave House a quick hug. "I'm late. I've got to go. Be good." Wilson rushed out the door so quickly that he didn't hear House calling after him, begging him not to leave.

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The clock in Wilson's office ticked off the seconds as the exhausted doctor sat wiping his nose. The trash can by his desk was full of used tissues and a half empty bottle of Dayquil sat next to his usual stack of patient files. The oncologist was miserable but knew he was stuck. No more sick days meant no leaving early without Cuddy's permission and Wilson had been avoiding her again. After last night he was confused about his feelings towards his boss. He kept repeating over and over again that Lisa was just a friend but couldn't stop thinking about how she looked in her red dress the at dinner. He was also still slightly uncomfortable about leaving dinner early, even though it turned out Greg was really sick.

"Can I come in?" Wilson silently groaned to himself. So much for avoiding Cuddy.

"This room has been quarantined due to infectious disease." Wilson tried to keep his voice sounding light and playful. "I caught Greg's cold." He grimaced as Lisa entered the room.

"You too? Rachel woke up sneezing last night. I thought I'd never get any sleep. She cried until four in the morning." Cuddy looked as wiped out as Wilson felt. "How's Greg? It looks like you didn't get much sleep either."

"I got to sit through the Lion King DVD twice. Every time I thought he was finally out, he would wake up with a coughing fit or because his nose was clogged again. I think I fell asleep just as my alarm clock was about to go off. I had to leave him at the rehab facility for the day. He hates that place."

"I though he liked his school?"

"He likes his classes. He hates when I have to use it as a daycare. From what I gather they just stick him in a room with a bunch of other disabled people, some toys and a TV. I think it reminds him of the institution."

Cuddy frowned at her employee. "That sounds awful. You need to find another babysitter for him, James. I could set up some interviews."

"Thanks." Wilson paused to sneeze. "I feel awful. I just want to go home and sleep but I know I can't. With Greg sick I'm going to be stuck…"

"Fine, you've convinced me." Cuddy smiled and threw up her arms in mock exasperation.

"Convinced you to do what?" James looked a bit worried.

"I'll come over with Rachel and keep an eye on House. I'll probably catch what you have before the end of the day anyway. Misery loves company right?"

"Thanks Lisa." Wilson was grateful for the help but a little surprised at the offer.

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Rachel's crying rang in Wilson's ears as he lay on the couch trying to rest his eyes. His hand was tightly wrapped around a box of tissues and he was covered in one of House's cartoon themed fleece blankets with several stuffed animals resting on his stomach. Greg was in a ball at the other end of the couch, barely fitting into the space between the armrest and Wilson's curled up legs. The older man sneezed continually and was using the end of Wilson's blanket as a tissue.

"It's okay pumpkin." Cuddy tried to soothe her daughter as she handed the little girl a sippy cup full of apple juice. She pointed to the TV. "Look at the silly doggy on the TV. He's trying to find clues. Isn't that a silly dog?"

"Blue Clues." Greg sniffed irritably, grabbing one of the stuffed animals off of Wilson's torso and pulling it tightly to his chest. He sneezed again and wiped his face on his pajama sleeve as Rachel continued to cry. "Mine clues."

"It's okay sweetie. Look. Dusty is coming to see you." The little spaniel scooted over to where Rachel sat on a blanket crying and put his head near her foot. Rachel quieted down as a wet dog nose investigated the outside of her tiny slipper. "Good dog." Cuddy mumbled. "Do you want some juice Greg, sweetie?"

"I'll have some." Wilson snuffled, sitting up and shoving the stuffed animals off of his middle. "If you don't mind that is."

"Do you want it in a sippy cup?" Lisa smiled, holding out the race car themed cup of juice intended for Greg. "Or would you prefer something a little more age appropriate?"

"Mine!" Greg sniffed and pointed indignantly to the cup in question.

"I know sweetie. Here you go. I was just teasing Wilson. I'm not going to give away your cup." Cuddy paused and grabbed a tissue. "Look at your face. It's a mess. Stay still." Greg squirmed as his former boss wiped at his runny nose. "Your jammies are filthy too. Don't they pay any attention to you at that awful place?"

Wilson coughed and cleared his throat. "I may have been running a little late for work this morning and didn't have time to change his clothes." The rest of his face turned as red as his runny nose.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I kind of figured. The lady at the front desk complained to me that you dropped him off this morning with a filthy face and wet pants. Don't worry; I gave her a valid excuse. Next time just call me and tell me you are going to be late. Believe me, I understand." She nodded towards Rachel who now lay curled up with House's dog, using the furry creature as a pillow. "That dog doesn't have fleas does it?"

"Of course not. What kind of outfit do you think I'm running here?" Wilson half joked as he eased himself off of the couch. "I'll go give Greg a bath and…"

"I don't think so. I need you better so you can come into to work tomorrow. You lay back and rest. Where do you keep Greg's pajamas?"

"Mine jammies?" Greg slid off of the couch and led Cuddy down the hall with a grimy hand. "Mine jammies." He opened a dresser drawer and began to toss items of clothing onto the carpet. "Mine red, mine green, mine trucks." The pile grew as House continued to dump clothes on the floor. "Jammies."

"Very nice but I think we only need one pair, sweetie. Can you pick out a pair for me?" Greg looked baffled at her request so Cuddy snatched a set of red and green checkered fleece pajamas from the top of the pile. "How about this one?"

"Yuck." Greg wrinkled up his nose. "No." He picked up a pair of blue striped cotton sleep pants and wiped his nose on them. "Mine."

Cuddy snatched the now dirty pants away and tossed them in the hamper. "I don't think so. How about these?" House gave a small nod of approval along with a sneeze to a pair of green thermal pajamas. "Okay. Can you put them on yourself?" Cuddy asked hopefully. She sighed as Greg answered by lifting his arms above his head.

Greg emerged from the bedroom with a freshly wiped down face and clean clothes. He limped over to Wilson's side. "Look." He pointed as his clean pajama top. "Green."

"Good job, buddy." Wilson wheezed. His head was starting to throb and for some reason he was feeling more than slightly embarrassed that his boss was seeing him in this condition which was strange seeing as this wasn't the first time Cuddy had seen him with a bad cold. "Why don't I go lay down in my bedroom so Greg can have the couch?" He paused. "Not that I am trying to turn you into a babysitter. You can call me if you need anything. I can stay out here if you want me to."

"It's fine James. Go lay down in your bed. I'll call you if I need help." Lisa helped Greg get comfortable on the sofa while Wilson shuffled off quickly to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Lying in the dark room Wilson wondered what the hell he was doing asking Cuddy over when he was sick anyway. She had offered but he could have said no. But Lisa was great company and darn good looking…probably a great kisser…. "Where did that come from?" Wilson wondered aloud as he sat up in bed and shook his head fiercely. "What kind of sick man are you turning into, James Wilson?" Wilson sighed as he lay back down. "She's your boss and your friend. She's out there taking care of House for god's sake. She felt sorry for you and she came over here to be nice."

"Are you okay James?" A voice came from the living room.

"Umm..yeah. Yes." Wilson decided it seemed creepy to be laying in his bed while Lisa was out in his living room and stumbled out into the hallway. He sneezed loudly. "I'm just too stuffed up to sleep. You can go home if you want. It was sweet of you to come over but I can take it from here." Greg was sound to sleep on the couch clutching his teddy bear.

"Okay." Cuddy nodded as she unwrapped Rachel's hand from around Dusty's ear and lifted the sleeping child into her stroller. Wilson was quite sure he imagined the vague air of disappointment in her voice. "Call me if you need anything. I doubt I'll be getting much sleep again tonight." She paused in front of Wilson as she headed for the door. "And call me if you are going to be late this time."

"Sure thing." Wilson felt his face flush as his boss gave him a quick hug. He wondered when Lisa Cuddy had gained the ability to make him feel like there were butterflies in his stomach as he heard the door shut behind her. "She doesn't want anything to do with you. She's just being nice because of what you told her in the park." Wilson reminded himself as he sat down near Greg's feet and quietly changed the channel on the TV.


	5. Chapter 5

**Again thanks to all of you who have read and/or reviewed so far! I own nothing, just borrowing for my own amusement and hopefully the amusement of others as well. =D **

"Feels good to be back on schedule huh buddy?" Wilson reached down and ruffled Greg's hair as his friend sat on the floor playing with the magnetic numbers on the side of the fridge while Wilson washed the dishes. It had taken almost a week for Greg to get over his cold and Wilson was glad to have things back to relative normality. Cuddy had been occupied meeting with potential donors all week so James had been able to successfully avoid her. "Are you ready to do letters next?"

"No." Greg whined. "Boring."

"Come on buddy." Wilson finished drying the last dish and set it in the dish rack. He moved over to the table and put crayon to paper. "Come sit down."

Greg dragged his feet as he slowly made his way over to Wilson's side. Letting out a loud sigh he plopped down in a chair and picked up a handful of crayons. "Boring." He repeated with a frown.

Wilson ignored his friend's comment. "What letter is this?" He asked, drawing a large 'A' on the paper with a purple crayon. Greg pretended not to hear and started to snap crayons in half. Removing the broken Crayolas from his friend's hand the younger doctor repeated patiently. "What letter is this?"

Greg stuck out his lower lip. " 'A'."

"Good job. How about this one?" Wilson started to pick up the crayon again when the phone rang. "I'll be right back." He reassured as hurried to answer it. "Hello?...Um, hi…No, I'm really busy…sorry…I just can't…Are you sure?...Fine. I'll meet you at…my place?…wait! Bonnie are you still there?" The phone clicked and the dial tone rang in Wilson's ear. "Great. Perfect."

"Wilson?" His friend had gotten up from the table and was now tugging at Wilson's sleeve.

"Sorry buddy." He sighed. "You probably don't remember my ex-wife but trust me; she is going to remember you." He shook his head, looking down at House's jelly stained shirt. "I guess she was going to find out eventually. Let's at least get you into a clean shirt."

"Shirt." Greg agreed, limping off to his room. Wilson laughed as House returned to the kitchen wearing the same shirt only backwards.

"Not exactly what I had in mind buddy." Wilson smiled as he led Greg back to his bedroom. He quickly pulled off the stained t-shirt and replaced it with a clean one. "Do you want to watch TV?"

"Yay!" Greg shuffled into the living room. Just as he got comfortable on the couch there was a knock at the door. Dusty ran barking down the hall.

"James! I didn't know you had a dog! He's so cute!" Bonnie squealed with delight at the sight of the fuzzy spaniel but froze as she reached the living room. "Where's James?" House sat quietly on the couch, eyes focused on the TV as if no one else was in the room. "Fine. Ignore me. What are you doing here anyway?"

"Hello Bonnie." James forced a smiled as he wandered into the living room and sat down next to Greg. "Where's Hector?"

"In the car." She paused and looked around the room, eyes focusing on a pile of Greg's toys in the corner. "Do you have a kid living here?"

"Listen, Bonnie. Sit down. We need to talk…" The sound of cartoon music blared from the TV set.

"Mine Wilson?" Tugging on Wilson's sleeve the older man in the room pointed to Bonnie with a quizzical look on his face, just now noticing they had a visitor.

"What is wrong with him James? Why is he acting like that? Is he high?"

Wilson took a deep breath. "Greg had an accident. It left him with a serve brain injury and…"

Wilson's ex actually burst out laughing. "This is so fitting. He ruins our marriage, he controls your life and you end up living with him. You were always at his beck and call. It figures you would end up like this. So this is why you wanted to buy the house?"

"Yes."

"Doesn't he have family that can deal with this? Of course he doesn't. It was you when it was his damn leg and it's you now." She turned to her nemesis who was growing wide-eyed at the sharp tone in the woman's voice. "I bet you love this, don't you? You finally have him all to yourself."

Greg let out a small whimper and tried to hide behind his friend. "Please stop Bonnie. You're scaring him. This isn't the House you remember, you might as well be yelling at a four year. I'm sorry I lied to you. It's just…"

"You're always sorry James. Can you still take Hector?"

"Yes. Of course. I'll go get him out of the car."

"So Greg." Bonnie turned to her ex-husband's best friend as the front door clicked shut. "Just how bad off are you?" House nervously scooted closer to the back on the couch. "Do you remember who I am?"

"Wilson?" Greg called nervously.

"Apparently not." Looking down she noticed the teddy bear by House's side. "Is that your bear? How cute. James gave you the bear from his office. He must really love you. How long has this been going on, Greg? How long has…?"

"Wilson!" House shouted as loud as he could. Tears filled his eyes as he pressed himself as close to the back of the couch as he could.

"What's going on in here? Bonnie, what are you doing to him?" Wilson appeared cradling an ancient white terrier in his arms. Setting the little dog on an ottoman, he hurried to his friend's side. "It's okay buddy." He soothed. He turned back to Bonnie, eyes flashing with anger. "Why are you doing this to him?"

"I always knew there was something strange going on between the two of you." Bonnie proceeded calmly. "The late night visits, the phone calls in the middle of the night, spending the night at his apartment."

"I don't know what you're trying to imply." Wilson answered curtly. "But you're wrong. Greg is my best friend. He needed me and I was there for him. Just like he needs me now. I am truly sorry that our marriage didn't work out…"

"It's fine." Bonnie cut him off. "I'm glad you're happy with whatever you have going on here. Have fun with Greg and your house and your limping, rug soiling dog." She motioned at Hector who had fallen asleep on the ottoman. "I'd tell you to put some piddle pads out for him but I am guessing you already have some out for House."

"Bonnie…"

"Goodbye James." Wilson stood middle of the living room in shock, staring at the new addition to the house that had just been dumped on him. Dusty circled the ottoman with his tail tucked between his legs. The spaniel was clearly unhappy about the sudden appearance of another dog in his territory. He growled as Hector stirred in his sleep.

"Hey buddy." Wilson knelt next to Greg who was still sniffling from the scare his friend's ex had given him. "Let's get out of here and go to the park, okay? We can take Dusty and the new dog with us. Do you like Hector?"

Greg cautiously got up off of the couch and hobbled over to the ottoman. He put a hand on the old terrier's fur and gently ran his fingers over the bony spine underneath. "Mine Woofy?"

"Hector." Wilson smiled.

"Mine Woofy." Greg repeated decisively.

"Okay. Woofy." Wilson shook his head. "Where do you come up with these names anyway?" Greg had started to stare at the ceiling. "Come on. Let's go to the park."

"Yay!" House snapped out of his trance and grinned as Wilson pulled a jacket over his head.

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"Woofy!" House irritably plied at the dog, which refused to move from his spot on the grass. The little terrier was surrounded by sticks and rocks that Greg had unsuccessfully tried to entice the dog to play with. "Bad Woofy." He yelped as Greg jabbed at him with a stick.

"Greg, no!" Wilson rushed over and pulled the stick from his friend's hand. "Hector is an old dog, buddy. He doesn't like to play like Dusty does. Why don't you go play with Dusty?"

" Mine Dusty." Greg agreed as he limped over to where his spaniel was seemly pouting under a tree. A loud giggle filled the air as Dusty jumped into a puddle to retrieve a stick his master had thrown for him.

Wilson sighed and sat down on a bench, watching his friend play with the dog. The encounter with his ex had rattled his nerves. He knew Bonnie blamed House for the dissolution of their marriage and to some extent so did he. But to sit there and taunt a disabled man just didn't seem like Bonnie. He supposed that she must still be angry at House, even angrier than Wilson had expected. He wondered what Bonnie had meant by her accusation of 'something strange' for a minute but decided he was probably better off not knowing. As he stood up and stretched the oncologist couldn't help but speculate about what others thought of him, being a caretaker to a four year old who was in his fifties.

"Wilson, ouch!" House had tripped over something and sat sniffling in the grass.

"It's okay, buddy." Wilson brushed off the dirt from his friend's pants as he helped him back up. As Greg's blue eyes sparkled with gratitude, the younger doctor quickly decided he didn't care what others thought. He knew he had friends who understood his long, strange friendship with House and the connection between the two men. Leading Greg back to the car, Wilson decided to stop avoiding Cuddy and invite her over for dinner.


	6. Chapter 6

**One more for today =) Hopefully enjoy! **

"This is unexpected." Cuddy gave Wilson a soft smile as she sauntered into the kitchen. Rachel toddled closely behind her carrying a large pink stuffed elephant. The kitchen floor was littered with a mix of toys and books with Greg sitting in the midst of the mess, carefully putting a blue stripe down the middle of Hector's face the a marker. "Is he supposed to be doing that?"

"Huh? No! Greg!" Wilson picked his way around the mess to wrench the marker from his friend's hand. Hector didn't even stir. "I thought I threw all of these away after you redecorated the bathroom. Go wash your hands. You have ink all over them."

"You!" Greg whined as he looked down at his blue palms.

"No. You know how to run the sink. You proved that this morning. Now scoot." Wilson rolled his eyes. "Sorry about the mess. I may have gone a little overboard at the toy store this evening."

"It's fine. Sorry I couldn't come over last night. I thought I would never get out of that meeting. So how's Greg? Any particular reason you decided to turn your kitchen into a toy box?"

James sighed. "I lost a patient this morning. He was only ten years old. All his parents ever talked about was how they pushed him to get good grades in school. Now he's gone and his parents could probably care less about those grades. It made me think about Greg and what little time we have left together. I felt bad because I have been pushing him to learn all of these new things. I felt guilty and ended up with a cart full of new toys."

"James." Cuddy put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You don't know how much time you and Greg have left together. I agree you should make the most of it but you are doing your best. Just remember you don't always have to go to such extremes with him. Let him relax a little but don't give in to his every whim either."

"He's a fifty year old ex-drug addict. He's still on Vicodin for his leg…"

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Cheer up Eeyore. If anything Greg is too stubborn to be leaving you anytime soon. Now what's for dinner?"

"I help." Greg informed his former boss as he returned to the kitchen, shirt soaked down the front.

"You did." Wilson agreed. "Tell Lisa what's for dinner."

"Mine pa-sketti!" Greg's blue eyes sparkled as he pointed a finger towards a large pot. Large amounts of sauce were splattered on the stove top and uncooked noodles were strewn about the counter. "I help."

"I can see that, sweetie. Can you help Wilson clean up the mess?"

"He doesn't have to help with that." Wilson answered quickly. "Why don't you take Greg and Rachel into the living room? I thought we could eat in front of the TV and watch a movie."

"Trying to avoid conversation? I noticed you've been avoiding me all week."

"No, no!" Wilson chewed on his lower lip. He had been certain Cuddy was too busy to notice the fact that he hadn't spoken to her until yesterday. As much as he wanted the company he was still confused about his feelings and thought a silent meal would be the safest option. "I promised Greg we would watch Toy Story tonight and I don't want him staying up too late."

"Uh huh." Cuddy eyeballed him with skepticism. "Come on Greg let's go into the living room." She bent over to pick up Rachel. James had to quickly turn away to keep from staring at his boss's backside.

Wilson mentally slapped himself. She's your boss he repeated in his head as he pulled plates from the cupboard. She's only here because she is a nice person and she knows you're lonely. A cup crashed to the floor as it slid from the cupboard. "Wilson?"

"It's okay buddy. It's just a cup." House had been jumpy since his encounter with Bonnie. Quickly loading up plastic plates with food Wilson made his way into the living room. "Who's hungry?"

"Mine!" Wilson quickly sat a plate of spaghetti down on the coffee table before Greg could snatch it from his hand.

"What do you say?"

"Please."

"Close enough." Wilson smiled and shook his head as he set out the rest of the plates and took a spot on the couch next to Cuddy. "Hopefully Hector will stay asleep. He got half a whole bowl of stir fry last night before I could stop him. I forgot what a handful that dog can be. It doesn't help that he and Dusty have decided they're mortal enemies." He motioned to Dusty who lay hunkered down in a corner of the living room.

"Why did Bonnie decide to get rid of him? I thought she swore you had lost custody after Hector's stay with House."

"She didn't say. She probably got a puppy or a kitten. I'm surprised she kept him as long as she did. Bonnie never could stand Hector, not even when he was a puppy. She said the dog reminded her of Greg. God knows why."

"Me?" A spaghetti covered face turned towards Wilson.

"Why don't you put on the DVD, sweetie? Pumpkin, let mommy help you with that." Lisa bent over and cut Rachael's noodles into smaller pieces. "So Bonnie dropped the dog off?"

"Let's just say that was less than pleasant. She came in here and accused me of…well I'm not exactly sure what she was trying to accuse me of. But I'm sure it wasn't anything good. She got Greg all upset and left me with a rug soiling terrier."

"Bad Woofy." Greg agreed through a mouthful of noodles.

"That's right. That 'bad Woofy' as Greg calls him is destroying my carpet. I'm afraid I might have to get a dog house and keep him outside."

"Did you really expect Bonnie to come over here and be nice, James? You cheated on her. You left her alone every night so you could spend time with House." Cuddy sighed. "After your divorce she came to me and tried to accuse you of all sorts of horrible things. She was even convinced you had…well she thought you spent an awful lot of time over at House's apartment."

"What?" Wilson spat. "How could she possibly…she knew…I mean…you don't believe her?"

"Of course not. I know you too well for that. I told her even though I was your friend I was also your boss and it would be inappropriate for me to be discussing one of my employee's personal matters. I never said anything to you because I figured she'd eventually let go and move on. And because I didn't have any reason to believe a word she said." Cuddy put her hand on Wilson's knee. "As wrong as it was for you to cheat on her, the women drove me nuts. She was always calling the hospital looking for you, always asking everyone who knew you questions about what you had been up to."

"Honestly, that's part of the reason I cheated." Wilson sighed. "Not that I am excusing my behavior. But she never trusted me. She was always accusing me of cheating. I figured that if she was going to accuse me, I might as well just do it."

"That's some backwards logic." Cuddy shook her head.

Wilson shrugged. "I'm not saying my logic was flawless. It was just where my head was at the time. I'd like to think I've grown as a person since…Greg! No! Where did you get that?" Greg sat drawing on the coffee table with the same marker Wilson had tossed in the trash not long before. "Give me that."

"Mine!" Greg pulled back his hand defiantly, hiding the marker behind his back. His elbow knocked into Rachel, causing her to cry. The older man's blue eyes grew wide and he immediately dropped the pen to give Rachel a gentle hug. "Sorry Wilson. Sorry!"

"It's okay buddy. No more pens, okay?" Greg nodded earnestly. "Say sorry to Rachel."

"Sorry." Greg grabbed a stuffed tiger off of the rug and held it out to Rachel as a peace offering. The little girl smiled as she took the toy.

"You know what's sad?" Wilson asked Lisa as he sat back down. "It won't be long before she is mentally more mature than he is."

"Will you quit being such a damn Eeyore, James? By the way Greg has the pen again. He's going to ruin that coffee table."

"Greg, put the pen down." Wilson warned.

Greg let the marker fall back to the carpet. "Sorry." He said quickly. He waited until Wilson turned his head and immediately picked it back up again.

"James…"

"I don't know what to do. I already threw it away. Maybe I should just let him write with it. It isn't really hurting anything." Blue squiggles covered the coffee table, several stuffed toys and Greg's plate. There were also two blue splotches on the carpet from where Greg had dropped the pen on the rug.

"Remember what I said early about not going to extremes? First you're too hard on him then you let him get away with murder. Let me deal with this." Cuddy stood up and grabbed the pen from Greg's hand. When he tried to grab it back she gave him a light tap on the knuckle. "Wilson said no more markers, Greg."

"Sorry." Blue puppy-dog eyes waited for the pen to be set back down.

"Too late. Wilson said no more markers. You wouldn't listen so now it's time for you to go to bed and the marker is going in the trash." Greg turned his head from Cuddy and focused his gaze on the TV. "Come on. In your bedroom. Now."

"Lisa…"

"I told you I would take care of this James." She moved and took Greg by the arm. "Come on. In your room."

"Sorry." Greg tried again.

"I'm sure you are. And next time Wilson says no more, you'll remember to stop."

"Wilson?" House turned to his friend with a quivering lower lip. "Sorry."

"You heard the lady, buddy. Let's get you off to bed." Wilson stood up and took House by the arm. He felt horrible as he led his now howling friend to his bedroom and tucked him into bed. Dusty gave Wilson a look of distain as he hopped up on the bed and took his usual place by his master's feet. "Will you give me a hug?"

"No." House rolled over and faced the wall. "Bad Wilson."

"Okay." Wilson sighed as he flipped on Greg's night light and flipped off the overhead light. "I feel like a horrible person. I don't like making him upset." He admitted as he rejoined Cuddy in the living room. "I usually only get after him like that when I lose my temper. Then I feel guilty and buy him a bunch of toys or ice cream."

"You're a softy." Lisa gave Wilson a hug. "You can't help it. You want him to be happy. It's sweet. But not good for your coffee table or your sanity. Get after him before you lose your temper. Be consistent. It'll make life easier for both of you. "

"Thanks, Lisa. What would I do without you?"

"You'd have blue marks all over your rug and coffee table." Lisa laughed. "I think Rachel is asleep." She nodded towards the little girl who was curled up on the rug.

"You can tuck her into my bed if you want. Or I can get some of Greg's extra blankets."

"Could you get the blankets? I worry about her rolling off of the bed. She still sleeps in her crib at home." Wilson quietly tip-toed into Greg's room. The older man was already asleep, curled up around Dusty with his teddy bear tucked tightly under one arm. The younger man moved over to the bed and wiped his friend's tear streaked face with his sleeve before grabbing the blankets and returning to the living room. "Thanks James. Is he asleep?"

"He's out." Wilson confirmed.

"Good." Lisa carefully made a pile of blankets on the floor and moved Rachel into a more comfortable position. "Do you own anything besides Disney movies now that Greg and Rachel are asleep?"

"Do you like Vertigo?" Wilson asked, retrieving the Hitchcock classic.

"Never seen it." Cuddy admitted as she settled close to Wilson on the couch.

"It's a classic. One of the best…" Before Wilson knew it his boss was snuggled up against him. "Lisa." He moved back. "Are you sure…I mean we were just discussing how I CHEATED on my second wife…"

Lisa put her hand over Wilson's mouth. "Just be quiet and enjoy the movie, Eeyore."

**Author's note: Don't worry, nothing bad will happen to Hector in this story. I loved that bratty little dog on the show! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry it has taken me so long to update! The animal rescue I work with has been hosting a lot of adoption events recently and I have been helping out at all of them. Lots of puppies and kitties have found home but it hasn't left me with much time to do anything else! Here is chapter 7, hope you enjoy! **

The movie was almost over and Lisa Cuddy was asleep, curled up against Wilson's side. Gingerly sliding off of the couch and treading softly past Rachel who was still snoozing on a pile of House's blankets, Wilson turned off the TV. He considered waking Cuddy but she looked so peaceful that the oncologist decided to just let her sleep. Wilson started to cover his boss with a blanket when a loud snuffle came from behind him.

"Wilson?" A tear streaked House stood in the entry to the living room. He clutched onto his teddy bear, sniffling as he stared mournfully at the empty coffee table. The pitiful appearance of his best friend tugged at Wilson's heart. "I sorry."

"I know buddy. Come here." Wilson quickly crossed the carpet. No sooner did he put out his arm than they were filled with a very repentant former diagnostician. The older man let his tears fall onto the lavender fabric of Wilson's dress shirt for several minutes before finally pulling away and looking up at his friend with red rimmed eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Mine Pa-sketti." Greg sniffed, looking wistfully at the place where his plate had been sitting before it had been dumped into the sink. Brown eyes grew wide as Wilson realized the source of Greg's upset. Greg hadn't finished eating when he had been dragged off to bed. He had been sent to bed hungry, something which always made Wilson feel horribly guilty on the rare occasions he lost his temper badly enough to do so.

"Let's get you something to eat." Wilson whispered, remembering that Cuddy and Rachel were both asleep in the room. The last thing he wanted was to wake Cuddy and receive a lecture on being overindulgent with Greg. Greg padded quietly behind his friend and took a seat at the table as Wilson poured him a bowl of Lucky Charms. Dusty started to join them but spotted Hector snoozing in a corner and retreated to House's bedroom with a loud growl. "Here buddy. Eat up."

House grinned as he took a bite, letting milk drip down his chin. He quickly devoured the remainder of the cereal and noisily slurped down the remaining milk from the bottom of the bowl. Letting the spoon drop to the tabletop, Greg yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Please."

"I think you mean thank you, buddy. And you're welcome. Now let's get you back into bed before Cuddy notices I let you…" Wilson paused and eyeballed his friend. Greg had let milk drip down the front of his shirt and still had spaghetti stains around the sides of his mouth from his earlier dinner. "On second thought, let's get you into the tub first. But we need to be quiet, okay?"

"Ssh!" Greg agreed, putting a finger to his lips. The now drowsy man followed his best friend down the hall and into the bathroom where he sat down on the edge of the tub. Still feeling guilty for sending Greg to bed hungry, Wilson found House's favorite bubble bath under the sink and poured a generous amount of the supposedly bubblegum scented liquid into the running water. After overcrowding the tub with bath toys, Wilson quickly helped his friend undress and get into the warm water.

"He's never going to learn if you keep caving." Cuddy stood in the doorway shaking her head affectionately.

"He was hungry and he had spaghetti sauce all over his face." Wilson answered indignantly. Greg giggled and flicked bubbles at Wilson.

"You felt guilty so you let him get out of bed, eat whatever he wanted and now you're letting him play in the tub. You know James." Cuddy lectured. "You are probably confusing the hell out of him. One minute you're pissed, the next minute you're handing out treats."

"I'm not handing out treats. I'm keeping him from being filthy. And speaking of consistency, weren't you the one lecturing me about being too hard on him a few days ago?"

"Because you were being too uptight a few days ago. Now…all I'm saying is don't make things confusing. If he's acting up react in a reasonable manner and stick with it. Don't feel guilty every time you have to get after him and don't let it get to the point where you are so mad that you react in a way you need to feel guilty about. Does that make sense?"

Wilson sighed. "I used to do the same thing to him when we were friends. I'd get pissed at him for depending too heavily on the Vicodin, yell at him about it, then feel guilty. The next thing you know I'd be writing him prescriptions and making excuses for his behavior. I guess things haven't changed much."

"No they haven't. You still care about Greg. You're still a great friend. Greg loves you. He always has, in his own, strange House sort of way. I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I just don't want to see you drive yourself crazy with this." In the bathtub Greg reminded the pair of his presence by tossing a plastic boat at Wilson's leg. "I'd better get going. It's late. Rachel needs to sleep in her bed. Thanks for dinner." Cuddy leaned over and gave Wilson a kiss on the cheek, leaving him holding a bath towel and feeling very confused about his boss's feelings for him.

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"Don't touch the stove." Wilson snapped irritably. He had spent the past night awake, puzzling about Lisa and her possible feelings for him. Lack of sleep had left the oncologist in a foul mood. Hector hadn't helped matters by soiling on the living room rug and ripping up one of Greg's coloring books all over the carpet. Dusty was still upset by the other dog's presents and had only left House's bedroom to quickly relieve himself in the backyard earlier that morning.

"Bad Woofy." Greg pouted, motioning at Hector who was now asleep again. The blue eyed man reached towards the stove again only to have his hand quickly slapped away by a grouchy oncologist. Pouting, House flopped down on the floor and began to play with a set of large plastic blocks. "Wilson! Bad Woofy!"

"What is it Greg?" Wilson turned around to see House hit Hector over the head with a block as the little dog continued to gnash on a House's stuffed Scooby doll. "Greg, don't hit!" Wilson leaned down and grabbed the block from House's hand. "Hitting is bad." With that he gave Greg a hard smack on the back of his hand, causing the older man's eyes to fill with tears.

"No hit, Wilson!" Greg exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his hand. "Bad hit!"

Realizing the ridiculousness of hitting someone while chastising them for hitting, Wilson couldn't help but let out a small snort at House's reaction. Noting his friends tears, James sat down on the floor next to him and took House's stinging right hand in his own. "I'm really sorry buddy. Hitting is bad. I shouldn't hit you and you shouldn't hit Hector, okay?" House sniffed in agreement as Wilson stood back up. "I just need to get my focus back on you. I don't even have time to think about starting a relationship. I hardly have time to make a decent breakfast."

"Eggs." House agreed as smoke began to come off of the neglected pan on the stove.

"Crap. We'll grab something on the way to your school okay? I think we'll have time to…" Wilson was interrupted by a loud yowl. As he was dumping the burnt eggs into the trash can House had reached over and touched his hand to the red hot burner on the stove.

"Ow!" House howled as Wilson ran his hand under ice cold water. The burnt flesh began to pucker and blister and had fallen away completely in a few places. "Wilson, ouch!" Greg sobbed.

"It's okay. It's okay." Wilson repeated frantically as he dug around in the freezer for an ice pack. Not finding what he was looking for he grabbed a bag of frozen peas and tried to put it on House's injured hand.

"No peas!" House wailed as he spotted the bag. He calmed down as the frozen bag touched the burn. "Peas." He sniffled.

"I know you hate peas buddy. But these peas are going to help okay?" Just then Dusty came rushing into the kitchen. He paused and started to growl at Hector, who lay chewing on the block House had hit him with. The younger dog began to circle the older one, baring his teeth and raising his hackles. The elderly terrier reacted by peeing on the kitchen tile. "Hector, no! Dusty go lay down!"

"Bad Dusty. Bad Woofy." Greg sniffed, clutching the bag of peas to his hand. "Bad peas."

"Okay." Wilson said to himself. "We can deal with this. I'll put Hector outside and get Greg to the hospital. No big deal." He turned to the sniffling older man. "Come on, buddy. Looks like you get to see Dr. Cameron this morning."


	8. Chapter 8

**Hmm...well so much for my "updating right away", sorry about that. The warm weather has finally arrived and all I have wanted to do is be out in the sun. But here is chapter 8 (finally). Hope you enjoy! Thanks to everyone who has read/reviewed so far. =)**

"What happened?" Cameron asked she smeared burn cream on House's hand. Greg flinched as the thick, smelly ointment hit his charred flesh. He whimpered and slid back on the exam table so he could snuggle against Wilson's chest. Wilson put a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder and let him bury his face in his sweater vest.

"I was busy burning breakfast when he stuck his hand on the stove. I only turned away for a second."

Cameron raised an eyebrow. "Are you still seeing Cuddy?"

"I was never _seeing her_. We're friends…we like to spend time together. What does that have to do with Greg's hand? Cuddy wasn't the one burning the eggs." Wilson sighed.

"You said you were burning breakfast. I assume this means you were distracted which mostly likely means you were thinking about your relationship with Cuddy and…"

"There is no relationship, Cameron. And I wasn't distracted by Cuddy, I was distracted by burnt eggs and the fact that I was running late for work. Now we can focus on Greg's hand?"

"Greg." House echoed, unburying his face to stick out his lower lip at the pair. Dusty, who lay curled on the exam table next to his master, whimpered in agreement. Wilson shook his head and suppressed a chuckle.

"You learned a lesson today, didn't you buddy?" The older man looked up at Wilson and let an expression of mock innocence play across his features. "Buddy?"Wilson repeated firmly. "What did we learn?"

"No hit." House murmured, burying his face back in Wilson's sweater vest.

"Hitting isn't nice." Wilson agreed. "Putting your hand on a hot stove isn't a great idea either." He turned to Cameron. "He also hit the dog over the head with a block this morning. I got after him about it. We weren't having a great morning."

"Tired after a long night out with your boss?"

"Cameron, listen…"

"Look, Wilson. I'm not trying to tell you what to do or accuse you of anything. I'm just saying you need to be careful. Greg needs you. When my husband was dying I had to devote all of my time to him. It was hard. I wanted to go out and spend time with my friends but I knew my husband needed me at home. I know Greg isn't dying but he is counting on you to be there for him. Even if it means sacrificing…"

"You don't think I've given up enough for him? I'm not supposed to have any friends now?"

"No! No. That's not what I'm trying to say. You do a great job. I'm sorry, Dr. Wilson."

"I know what you're getting at. I'm going to have to explain to Lisa I just don't have time to get…to start…I have to focus on Greg right now."

"Ouch!" Greg suddenly cried out as loud as he could manage, obviously feeling ignored. He bit his lower lip and waved his now bandaged hand in Wilson's face. "Cammie! Wilson! Mine ouch!"

Wilson snorted and ruffled Greg's hair. "Feeling neglected buddy? How's your hand?"

The older man sniffled and began to pout. "Bad."

"Poor buddy." Wilson gave his friend a gentle hug. "You can play hooky today okay? No school. You can stay in my office with me all day. We'll go to the park for lunch and after work we'll stop for pizza."

"No school?" House looked at Wilson with concern and held up Dusty's leash. The little dog jumped to his feet, ready to go.

"I think he wants to go to therapy." Cameron smiled. "You're already running late. I'll drive him."

"Thanks Cameron. I owe you." He gave Greg another hug. "Be good. I'll pick you up at five."

"Wilson? Do you always send Greg to therapy in his pajamas?"

Wilson sighed. "Show them his hand and explain what happened. I have a feeling they're going to revoke my caregiver of the year award."

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"So Greg burnt his hand after hitting Dusty with a block?" Cuddy sat on the edge of Wilson's desk, shoving aside the mound of paperwork in front of the oncologist.

"He hit Hector. I didn't feel like explaining the other dog to Cameron. He's fine. He even wanted to go to therapy. Cameron drove him. How are you?"

"Tired. Rachel woke up on the way home last night and wouldn't go back to sleep. I take it that Greg and Hector…"

"Oh crap!" Wilson jumped out of his chair. "Hector! I forgot to put him out in the backyard! He's probably destroyed half the house by now!" He looked desperately at Cuddy.

She sighed. "Go. Let me know when you're back."

"Thank you Lisa." Wilson broke the speed limit as his vehicle flew down the street. He pulled into driveway and ran through the front door, letting out a sigh of relief as he walked in to find the entryway and living room still intact. "Hector?" The kitchen was just as he left it but there was no sign of the elderly terrier. "Hector?" Wilson stuck his head out the backdoor. Nothing. "Hector? Oh god."

Wilson rushed down the hall. House's bedroom door was open. A small white dog napped in the middle of the floor. He was surrounded by piles of fluff, bits of blanket, plastic, and various scraps of paper. Near Hector's paw sat the torn off head of what used to be a stuffed bunny. Everything on the lower level of House's shelf and dresser were now on the floor in bits and pieces. The ancient dog had even managed to pull House's bedding and pillows on the floor. Hector opened one eye and wagged his tail.

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"I need you to watch Greg for me tonight." A flustered oncologist stomped into his boss's office.

"Okay." Cuddy answered slowly. "What's going on? I was kind of hoping we could go to dinner."

"About that. We need to talk. Later. Right now I have a bedroom that needs to be put back together before I can bring Greg home. Can you to watch him?"

"The dog tore up Greg's bedroom? Are you getting rid of it?"

"I can't get rid of Hector. I called the vet and they're boarding him until I can set up some sort of pen for him to stay in during the day. I'm going to have to redo Greg's entire bedroom. The dog destroyed everything."

"Can't Greg sleep on the couch at your house? I think it would be more stressful…"

Wilson ran a hand through his hair. "I can't let him see his room like that. His toys are dissected all over the rug. I can't think of anything more stressful than him seeing his bedroom looking like a tornado just tore thought it."

"You're right." Cuddy sighed. "How long do you think it'll take to get the room back together?"

"I'll get everything cleaned up and repainted tonight. I can go online and order new toys and blankets. If I have them rush delivered they should be here by tomorrow morning. I need to steam clean the carpet. Call it three days at most?"

"You want me to watch him for three days?" Cuddy started at Wilson like he had lost it. "I can't handle watching him for three days, James. Having to dress him, help him take a bath. I have told you a hundred times I don't know how you deal with it. What if you stayed over with him?"

"No!" Wilson yelped. He stopped and cleared his throat. "Umm…no. I need to be at home. Cleaning up the mess and…I…if you can't watch him…I could come over and get him ready for bed. I'll have him out of there by tomorrow morning." The brown eyed man's face was completely red at the thought of spending the night at Cuddy's place, even if she most likely meant he would be sleeping on the couch. He felt bad about his sudden, shouted reply but a sleepover definitely didn't fit into his plans of trying to spend less time around his boss.

Cuddy raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

"Yup. Yes. I am fine. Great even. Just upset about Greg's room. I'll drop Greg off after I pick him up from therapy. Around five."

"Are you sure you're okay? You're acting strange." Cuddy eyeballed her employee. His face was still a bit flushed. "Are you coming down with something?" She reached to touch Wilson's forehead.

He quickly jumped back. "I feel fine. See you around five." He scrambled out of the office and closed the door behind him.

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"Wilson!" House hopped out of his chair and limped towards his best friend waving a piece of paper jubilantly. As he reached his friend he shoved the piece of paper in Wilson face. "Look!"

"Wow! Good job, buddy!" Wilson surveyed the large, crayon scribbled letters on the page in front of his face. The bright red uppercase 'ABCD' was barely legible but the younger doctor still felt himself fill with joy. "That is so good." He encased Greg in a tight hug. "Ready to go?"

Greg nodded and grabbed Dusty's leash with his free hand. "Mine Dusty, go."

"Dr. Wilson." One of the attendants who had been watching House stood up. "My supervisor wanted me to ask you if you could possibly refrain from sending Greg in his pajamas? I understand he had unplanned trip to the ER this morning but Greg is very uncooperative with the staff when we have to dress him. He actually bit a staff member this morning."

"He bit someone? Greg! That is…we don't bite people! Do you understand me?" House stuck out his lower lip and held up the paper he had written his name on again. "I'm still proud of you for writing those letters. You did a good job."

"Sorry." Greg dropped the piece of paper and pointed to the bandage covering his burn. "Ouch."

"I know you hurt your hand. That still doesn't give you an excuse…" He paused. "Is your hand bothering you again? Does it hurt?"

"I doubt it." The attendant scoffed. "He sure didn't have any problem using it today. He can be a holy terror, that one."

"I'll be sure to make sure he's dressed next time." Wilson gave the attendant a false smile. "Let's go Greg. You get to stay with Lisa tonight."

House paused in his footsteps, causing Dusty to stop too. "Pizza?"

"Oh buddy. I'm sorry. I forgot. We'll go to pizza tomorrow. I promise." He gave Greg a hopeful smile.

"No pizza?" Greg flopped to the floor and crossed his arms.

"I'm sorry buddy." Wilson repeated. "Pizza tomorrow, okay? Don't you want to go see Lisa and Rachel?" Greg had flopped down just outside the door and the attendant was starting to stare. "Come on, Greg. Let's go." He let his voice get a little firmer. "Now."

"No." Greg pulled his arms closer to his chest. "Pizza."

Wilson sighed. "Okay. We'll stop and pick it up on the way to Lisa's okay?"

"Yay! Pizza!" Greg put up a hand so his friend could help him up. When he reached his feet he gave Wilson a small hug before limping off to the car, Dusty trailing behind him.

**author's note: any spelling/grammar errors are directly linked to the author anxiously awaiting tonight's season finale.... **


	9. Chapter 9

**After last night's season finale, I could use a bit of fluff. So the end of this chapter is pure fluffiness. Hope you enjoy. =) **

"You brought pizza." Cuddy noted as she answered to door. "Let me guess. Feeling guilty over Greg's burnt hand?"

Wilson sighed. "I promised him pizza earlier today. That and he wouldn't get in the car until I agreed to buy it for him. On the upside he did write his letters all by himself today." Greg waved the piece of paper that hadn't left his hand since he exited the therapy building. "Of course being Greg he also had to go bite one of the attendants at his school when they were trying to dress him."

"He threw a fit and bit someone so you bought him treats?" Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Put that pizza in the fridge. I've already made dinner." She turned to Greg. "People who bite and throw fits don't get pizza."

"Mine letters!" House whined in response, waving the paper closer to his former boss's face.

"You did a good job. I'm very proud of you." Cuddy tried to give House a hug but he sidestepped past her into the kitchen.

"Mine pizza." He bellowed at Wilson, who stood stuffing the pizza box into the fridge. Wilson started to open his mouth but was instantly shushed by Cuddy as she strode swiftly into the kitchen.

"Give Wilson a goodbye hug." she commanded, slamming the fridge door shut.

"Bye?" House looked at Wilson, a bit puzzled. "No bye. Mine Wilson."

"I'll be back at 7:30. Seven, three, zero. See my watch?" Greg nodded as the younger man unfastened his watch and buckled it around his friend's wrist. "When it says seven, three, zero that means I'll be coming up the driveway okay? I'll be here just in time to get you ready for bed." He turned to Cuddy. "His hand seems to be feeling better and he's already had his last Vicodin dose for the day. I'll go get the rest of his stuff out of the van."

Greg wandered back into the living room and flopped down on the couch. Dusty trotted in through the front door and took a seat next to his master. "Pizza?"

"I don't think so. I made chicken and veggies."

"No chicken! Pizza!" House picked up the TV remote and tossed it across the room just as Wilson came back through the front door.

"Whoa. What's this all about? Don't throw things, Greg." He turned to Cuddy. "What was all that about?"

"He wants pizza. He can scream and throw things all he wants. I'm not giving in." Lisa gave Wilson a look that clearly read: _don't even think about challenging me._ "He doesn't need or deserve it."

"Okay. Well I will see you both at 7:30. Have fun." Wilson hurried out the door before Greg could start throwing the inevitable tantrum.

"Do you want dinner?" Cuddy asked, pointing to the kitchen.

"Mine pizza." House sank back into the couch and started to chew on his lower lip.

"Fine. Go hungry." Cuddy shrugged and headed into the kitchen. Greg got up and padded after her, leaving Dusty alone in the living room. Sitting down on the kitchen tile, Greg watched passively as Lisa pulled a tray of chicken out of the oven and began to dish it out onto plates. The blue eyed man didn't make a sound until Cuddy reached down and handed him a dish.

"Ouch." He sniffled pitifully, setting down the plate so he could show Lisa his bandaged hand. "Bad ouch." He put on his best puppy-dog face and stuck out his lower lip.

Cuddy snorted. "That might work on Wilson, sweetie, but it is not going to work on me. Eat your chicken or go hungry." Taking a plate off of the counter, the dean of medicine moved over to the dining room table. She began to eat her dinner as if Greg weren't even in the room.

Standing up, Greg tried again. "Please pizza? Please?" He gave an angelic smile.

"Sorry sweetie. No pizza. Come sit down and eat your chicken."

"NO CHICKEN!" Greg screamed at the top of his lungs. He kicked his plate of food, sending it flying across the room, and splattering against the side of the fridge. Pausing to catch his breath, Greg looked over at Cuddy. She pretended not to have noticed and continued eating her meal. Greg's face turned crimson as he took a deep breath. "MINE PIZZA!"

"Stop yelling Greg." Cuddy replied calmly. "You are going to wake up Rachel. If you yell one more time I am going to put you to bed." Greg stared back at his former boss, seemly digesting her words. A few seconds later there was a loud smash as a plate containing chicken hit the floor for the second time.

"No chicken!" Greg kicked at the shards of his plate and crossed his arms.

Cuddy got up and quietly wiped up the mess on the floor. Bright blue eyes watched her every move. "You're going to bed as soon as I'm done cleaning this up." Lisa informed the attentive man.

Greg sniffled. "Sorry."

"Too late. Come on." She took her former employee firmly by the arm and led him into a tiny guest bedroom at the end of the hall. The older man struggled as Lisa gently but firmly moved him over to the bed and tucked him under the covers. "Goodnight, Greg."

"Mine dinner." He sniffed in response.

"You should have thought of that before you tossed your plate on the floor."

"Mine Wilson." Greg pointed at Wilson's watch strapped to his wrist.

"Wilson is still coming at 7:30. Until then you need to stay in bed and think about what you did, okay? You could have hurt someone when you threw that plate. What if you hit Dusty?"

"No hit Dusty." Greg wiped some crocodile tears from his face. "I sorry, Lisa. Mine sorry."

"Too late." Lisa sighed as she closed the door behind her. From the other side she could hear Greg sniffling into his pillow. No wonder Wilson had such a hard time being consistent. The dean of medicine has almost given into Greg's last, painfully adorable plea for forgiveness. Shaking her head, she went into Rachel's room to make sure the little girl was still napping.

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"Lisa? Mine Wilson?" A very rumpled looking Greg padded nervously back into the living room, holding up Wilson's watch and pointing to the glowing numbers on the face. "Seven, three, zero."

Cuddy looked up at the clock behind the TV. "I'm sure he'll be here soon. I didn't tell you that it was okay to get out of bed. Go lay back down." Greg's hopeful expression crumbled as Lisa motioned towards the bedroom. He hung his head and started to limp slowly back towards the guest room. "Goodnight Greg."

The older man paused and turned around. "Wilson?"

"Not yet, sweetie. I'm sure he'll be here soon. He's probably just running late." Cuddy looked down at Rachel, who sat on the living room rug playing with a set of pastel colored keys. She couldn't help but wonder if her daughter got this anxious on the many occasions she was late coming home from work. "I'll tell you what. You can sit here with Rachel and me until Wilson gets here, okay? But then you have to go right back to bed."

"Yay!" A wide smile spread across Greg's face as the near jubilant man trotted over and took a seat next to Rachel on the carpet. Dusty, who had been keeping watch over the little girl, raised his head off of the rug and gave his master a quick wag of the tail. "Rachel, look!" Greg snatched a book off of the table. "ABC book. Lisa read?" Questioning eyes pried at Cuddy.

She smiled and nodded. "Okay. But only one book. Wilson should be here by then." Lifting Rachel onto her lap, Cuddy shifted uncomfortably as Greg tried to settle next to her on the couch. "Um, sweetie, why don't you sit on the floor and keep Dusty company?"

"Mine Dusty." House agreed, moving back onto the floor. Using the little dog as a pillow, Greg relaxed as he listened to the sound of Cuddy retelling Dr. Seuss's version of the alphabet. As time ticked by the older man began to grow sleepy. His eyelids became heavy and began to drift closed. A few story books later he woke to Cuddy gently shaking him. "Wilson?"

"Sorry honey. I'm sure he's on his way. I'm going to tuck you into bed."

Greg's eyes grew wide and he shook his head. "No. Wilson." He pointed down at the watch. "Mine Wilson tucks me to bed."

"Sorry sweetie. Wilson is coming, he's just…"

"Incredibly late."

"Wilson!" Greg's face lit up like a candle as he spotted his best friend leaning in the entry way. His smile quickly turned to a frown as he pointed down to the watch Wilson had given him. "Bad Wilson!"

"I am so sorry, buddy. Did you have fun with Lisa and Rachel?"

"No fun." House sniffed. He started to give Wilson a hug but paused when he noticed the flecks of paint on his friend's arms and neck. "Wilson, look. Bad ouch?"

Wilson chuckled. "No. It does hurt. It's just paint. Why didn't you have fun?"

"He didn't have fun." Cuddy interjected. "Because he didn't behave himself so he got sent to bed. This, by the way, was partly your fault for buying that stupid pizza."

The younger man shrugged. "You should have just given it to him. I had told him earlier that I would buy him pizza so I bought it for him. Consistency, right?"

"You could have explained to him that his bad behavior…"

"Stupid pizza, stupid sponge." Greg interrupted, looking around the room. He began to gaze off into the distance, eyes focusing on the blank TV screen. A few seconds later his eyes snapped back over to Wilson and Cuddy. "Stupid Greg."

Wilson stared at his friend in shock for a moment, then rushed over and gave him a tight hug. "No. No, buddy. You are not stupid. Don't ever, ever say that again okay?" He looked Greg in the eyes. "You are not stupid."

"I'm sure he doesn't know what that means." Cuddy pointed out quickly. "He loves Sponge Bob but he calls the show 'Stupid Sponge'. You're reading too much into this."

"You're right." Wilson sighed, letting go of Greg. "I'm sorry, pal. You're not in trouble okay? Do you want to get ready for bed? I brought your jammies and a brand new blanket. It's really soft so I think you'll like it." Greg answered by heading down the hall towards the guest bedroom. Wilson followed closely behind, only to find Greg sitting on the bed hugging a pillow. "What's the matter, buddy?"

"Wilson." Greg hugged the pillow closer to his chest. He lay down and curled on his side facing the wall.

"Hey." Wilson sat down on the bed next to his distraught friend. "I know I was late. I didn't forget you." He reached over and tried to put a hand on Greg's shoulder only to be pushed away. "I'm sorry Greg."

"Sorry Wilson." Greg rolled over to face his friend, lower lip trembling.

The brown eyed man smiled softly. "You don't need to be sorry, bud. You didn't do anything wrong. Let's get you ready for bed, okay? I got you brand new jammies. Dusty! Fetch!" The little spaniel came trotting into the room, holding a large paper bag in his mouth.

"Ducks!" House exclaimed joyfully, pointing at the green flannel pajamas covered in mallard duck print. He slowly put up his arms and sat compliantly still as Wilson dressed him for bed. Lying back on the bed, he waited patiently for the younger man to pull the covers over his pajama clad body. His smile grew as he spotted the new blanket his friend had also bought for him. "Stupid sponge! Yay!"

"You're welcome, buddy." Wilson ruffled his friend's hair. "I'll be right back, okay." Wilson tip-toed into the kitchen and quietly slipped a plate into the microwave. He was just about to hit the start button when he felt a tap on the back of his shoulder.

"Sneaking Greg pizza, James?" Cuddy couldn't help but laugh at the look on Wilson's face. He looked like a little boy who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Um…well…" James's face turned a bright red.

She shook her head. "You are such a goof, you know that? Go give Greg his snack." She swatted him on the butt as he walked past her, causing his face to glow an even brighter shade of red.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry this update took me so long to post. Two of the little foster kittens I have been caring for passed away unexpectedly recently and I am having a very hard time dealing with the loss. That said, the next two chapters are much more angst ridden than the rest of the this fic so far...Wilson is not very nice to poor House at the end. I promise after these two chapters that things will get more upbeat. Sorry for any spelling/grammar errors. I am still a little out of it. Insert disclaimer here. **

"It's no wonder he doesn't listen to you." Cuddy rolled her eyes as Wilson returned to the kitchen to dump a pizza sauce encrusted plate into the sink. "You were doing so well. What happened?"

"He listens to me just fine." Wilson countered. "You're lucky he listens to you. Once of these days he's going to realize just how much bigger he is than you are and…Ouch! Let go! What the hell are you doing?" The oncologist's dialogue was cut short by a firm pinch to his earlobe.

"Just demonstrating how I deal with people who think they don't have to listen to me because I'm smaller than them." Lisa smirked as Wilson rubbed at his smarting earlobe. "Any questions?"

"No." Wilson grimaced, still rubbing at his ear. "But I think a verbal explanation would have been just as effective. And I don't know if I like the idea of you yanking Greg around by the earlobe either. If I wanted that I would just rehire Greg's old babysitter."

"Quit deflecting." Cuddy yawned. "We both know that if you don't start getting stricter…"

"Stricter? You realize this is Greg we're talking about right? Not an actual four year old child."

"That's my whole point. He is not four years old. He could hurt someone throwing a plate or kicking and lashing out, which is the reason you need to learn to stand up to him."

"It's …hard. I want him to be happy. When I get after him it makes him unhappy. When he isn't happy it not only makes me feel like shit, it causes him to scream and cry which leads to me having a headache. It's just easier to give in. I'm not going to kill him by letting him have some pizza or an extra ice cream."

"This isn't about pizza or ice cream, James. This about the fact Greg could get hurt or hurt someone else because he won't listen to you. Have you thought about joining a support group for caregivers of special needs adults? I went online and did some research…"

"I don't need a support group to tell me how to care for my best friend." Wilson snapped. "What I need is for people to mind their own damn business."

"I'm sorry. I just care about you and Greg." Cuddy replied quietly. "We all do."

Wilson let out a small sigh. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. It's just between you and Cameron…I know you both care. I'm tired and I'm covered in paint. I need to go home, take a shower, and get to bed. I'll see you in the morning. Call me if you have any problems."

"Paint? You repainted the whole room? What colors?"

"You didn't notice the paint all over my arms and neck?" Wilson relaxed a little and let out a small laugh. "I went with a kind of light sky blue and a white trim. The colors are supposed to be calming, at least according to the girl at the paint shop. I was just going to paint over the spots Hector damaged but I decided if I had to paint I might as well just redo the whole thing."

"It sounds nice. I'm sure Greg will love it. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Cuddy gave Wilson a quick hug and watched as he made his exit before quietly heading off to bed.

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"I don't know what to do." Wilson admitted as he sat on the exam table in the clinic. "First I'm being too strict, then too lenient. I get mad, I feel guilty. I do nothing and he won't learn to listen to me."

"You need to stop taking everyone else's advice and do what you think is right." Chase took a seat on a stool across from the exam table. "I thought we were here to talk about your headaches, not Greg."

"Greg is the one causing my headaches." Wilson sighed. "Well, to be fair, it is more the people giving me advice about Greg that are the main cause. Greg himself is fine for the most part."

"As long as you give in to whatever he wants?"

"Great. Now I'm going to get a lecture from you." Wilson started to stand up. "I thought you said…"

"Sorry. I've been talking to Cuddy and she's rubbed off on me. Sit back down." Wilson sighed as he plunked back down on the exam table. "She is right about some of it, you know. A support group would probably be a lot of help."

"I don't need a support group; I need more hours in my day. Trying to spread my energy between Greg, work, and some semblance of a social life leaves me feeling like someone who is trying to make a teaspoon of peanut butter cover three slices of bread."

"It's all about finding a balance." Chase assured. "When I first starting dating Cameron I felt like I didn't have enough energy to keep up with our relationship and my job. It took some time but I figured things out." He paused. "That support group might give you some..."

"I better go" Wilson snapped suddenly. "I have a whole bedroom to put back together and only a half hour to do it in."

"Don't you want some kind of prescription for your headache?" Chase shot Wilson a questioning glance as his colleague headed for the door.

"I'll take an aspirin when I get home." Wilson turned his back on Chase and headed for the parking lot.

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"You did this all in a half hour?" Cuddy stood staring at House's refinished bedroom in amazement. "Where did you get all of this stuff?"

"Online." Wilson shrugged. Even he had to admit the room was as close to perfect for House as he could possibly come. Vintage motor cycle print zipped across the new curtains and comforter, the bright colors perfectly complementing the new paint. A red overstuffed chair and bright blue ottoman sat where the shelf used to be and House's toys and books were tucked safely away from Hector's reach in a monster truck themed toybox in the corner. The only thing that remained the same was the bed frame, dresser and House's beloved mobile above the bed. "It wasn't that hard. Most of the stuff came as a set…the curtains and the new sheets and comforter."

"You are not giving yourself enough credit. It looks amazing in here, even if you did go a little overboard. I thought you were just going to replace the stuff the dog damaged." She paused and pointed at a pair of photographs on the wall. One featured Greg sitting on a couch next to Dusty; the other was of Greg sitting next to Wilson, holding a rubber duck and laughing. "Where did the pictures come from?"

"The first one was taken by the trainer who left Dusty with us. The second Cameron took at Greg's last birthday party. I just scanned them into my computer, altered the size, and put them in some old frames I had laying around. I thought Greg would enjoy them."

"I'm sure he will. Have you given anymore thought to that support group I was talking to you about yesterday?"

Wilson looked at the floor. "I need to go pick up Greg from his music therapy class. I don't want to be late. I'll see you at work tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by."

"See you tomorrow." Cuddy replied a little sadly.

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"Mine Wilson!" Greg was already waiting by the door with his jacket on when Wilson arrived at the music therapy building. He held up his guitar and gave Wilson a wide grin. "I play guitar." Dusty, who sat by his master' side, gave a small yip of agreement.

"Good for you, buddy. Did you have fun today?" Wilson gently took the guitar from Greg's hands and started to guide him and his little spaniel towards the door.

"He was quite the handful today, I'm afraid." Dr. Hansen, Greg's music therapy instructor, informed Wilson. "I do think he had fun once he settled down though. But if I were you, I'd have a little talk with Gregory about not throwing things when he doesn't get his own way. I'm used to dealing with students like him. Others might find it a bit unsettling due to his stature."

Wilson nodded at the kind, grey haired woman. He turned sharply to Greg as soon as they were out the door. "We do not throw things. Do you understand?"

"Sorry." Greg seemed unaffected by Wilson's sudden sharp tone. He simply turned away and stared across the street. "Look Wilson, Dusty."

"Dusty is in the van already, Greg. That's another dog. Please get in the car." Wilson motioned to the backseat where Dusty sat panting slightly. "I have a surprise for you at home."

"Mine Dusty!" Greg insisted, moving closer to the side of the road.

"Greg, get away from the road. It's dangerous. I need you to get in the van." Ignoring Wilson completely, Greg took a step out into the busy road. "Greg! Come back here!"

"No. Dusty." Greg took another step further into the street. A car honked as it narrowly missed him.

"Greg!" Everything started to move in slow motion as the semi-truck came closer to Greg, who stood frozen like a deer caught in a car's headlights. From the back of the van Dusty barked as he tried to free himself from the leash that bound him to the backseat. Wilson felt the adrenaline racing through his body as he grabbed Greg by the back of the pants and yanked him to the safety of the curb.

"Wilson." Greg sobbed into his friend's shoulder. "Wilson."

Wilson's heart was still racing as he hugged Greg tightly as he arms would allow. "Oh buddy. I was so scared. Are you okay? I thought I was going to lose you." As he began to rub his friend's back his feeling of relief suddenly shifted to anger. He jerked House back and looked straight into his friend's eyes. "Don't you ever, ever do that to me again! Do you know how scared I was? You could have been killed!" With that Wilson felt tears in his eyes as he pulled a thoroughly confused Greg back into a tight hug. "I don't want to lose you."

"Sorry Wilson." Greg snuffled as he pulled away from Wilson's grasp. "Sorry."

"Not as sorry as you would have been if you had been hit by that semi." Wilson felt his anger returning. "There is a reason you don't play in the road. There is a reason you listen to me." He grabbed Greg by the arm and started to pull him to the van. "Come on, time to go home."

"No!" Greg pulled his arm away. "No!" He sat down on the pavement and started to cry harder.

"Greg, come on." Wilson tried to remain calm but felt his anger boiling to the surface. His adrenaline was still running high thanks to the scare that House had just given him and his patients was wearing thin. "Come here, now." He tried his best to sound authoritative without sounding angry but failed miserably.

"No." Greg crossed his arms stubbornly, sniffing loudly. Wilson quickly crossed the pavement. One minute the former diagnostician was sitting in the parking lot. The next thing he knew he was in the back of the van, doors closed, laying facedown across the seat with Wilson's upraised hand about to hit him on the backside. "Wilson! No hit! " Greg cried out, putting a hand back to shield himself from the potential blow.

Wilson let his hand drop to his side without touching Greg, slumping against the van door. He looked down at his hand, then back at Greg who lay sobbing across the van seat. Dusty growled at the younger man and showed the tops of his teeth. "I need help, buddy. More help than I'm getting in my therapy meetings." He gently helped Greg into a comfortable sitting position. "I need help dealing with you."

"No hit." Greg sniffled; still a bit afraid Wilson might actually hit him. He moved away as his friend tried to hug him.

Getting out of the van and moving to the front seat, Wilson picked up his cell phone from the dashboard. He could hear Greg softly crying in the backseat as he dialed. "Lisa? It's James. Do have the numbers to any of those support groups? You and Chase were right. I need the help."

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"Are you okay?" Cuddy rushed in the front door carrying Rachel in her arms. "I know you didn't ask me to come over but you sounded so upset on the phone."

Wilson looked over the top of the book he was reading and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I was just…shaken up. Seeing your best friend nearly get plowed over by a semi can do that to you."

"That's all that happened? You made it sound like…"

"I was upset. Sorry to have worried you." Wilson put down the book. "I still want the number for the support group."

"I already emailed it to you. Where's Greg? Was he hurt?"

"He's taking a nap. I think we're both a little wiped out from what happened. Thanks for stopping by and for getting me that number." Wilson pulled the book back in front of his face, trying to hide his conflicting emotions. Part of him just wanted to come clean about losing his temper with Greg. It wasn't like it was the first time it had happened. But something in the pit of his stomach caused him to hold back as his boss stood there eyeballing him with concern. "Really, we are both fine."

"Okay." Cuddy replied hesitantly. "If you think of any other reason you might need to talk, just give me a call."

Wilson sighed and returned to his book, guilt making his stomach feel a bit queasy.

**author's note: I was going to have Wilson actually hit Greg, but I just couldn't do it for some reason. I figured that with Greg's brain damaged nearly being hit (especialy by someone he trusts so much) would be scary enough. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the House MD characters or actors from the show. If I did they would be busy raising money for my shelter for orphaned and abandoned animals. They would probably hate me because of the story lines I came up with as well.**

**Anyhow, here is the second, angsty chapter I am posting today. Hopefully it is not too unenjoyable. Oh and thanks to everyone who read/reviewed so far! You guys are all very awesome. Again sorry for any errors. **

Wilson sat in the overstuffed chair in the corner of House's room, feet resting on the ottoman. He watched the gentle rise and fall of Greg's chest as he lay in bed, cocooned in his blankets and using his dog as a pillow. The younger man rubbed his eyes but refused to let them close. The last time he had allowed himself to drift off Greg's nightmare had been so bad that the blue eyed man had vomited on his new sheets when he woke up. A feeling of culpability tugged at Wilson's heart. As many times as he had tried to convince himself the nightmares were being caused by House's most recent near-death experience, in the back of his mind Wilson knew his lost temper was the true cause of this particular setback.

"James?" He could hear Cuddy's voice echoing in the entryway.

"In here." James replied, his voice relaying his exhaustion. A part of him still just wanted to come clean with Cuddy, to hopefully put his conscious at ease. He rationalized that going to the meeting would do the same thing without putting himself at risk of inviting Cuddy's wrath or even worse, losing Greg.

"He's in bed already?" Cuddy entered the room carrying Rachel in her arms. "Isn't it a little early for that?"

"He hasn't been sleeping well. He's been having nightmares."

"Are you okay?"Cuddy studied her employee closely. Wilson had dark circles under his eyes and his clothes were rumpled. "Have you been sleeping okay?"

"No." Wilson sighed. "I guess…I guess I'm just still a bit shaken up by seeing Greg wander out into that road. Greg's nightmares have been keeping me up too. I'm worried about him."

Cuddy gave Wilson a gentle pat on the arm. "I'm sure he'll be okay. Go to your meeting. I hope it helps."

"Me too." Wilson replied quietly as he headed out of the room, giving a final worried glance at Greg's sleeping form.

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Wilson left the meeting feeling more exhausted than he when he went in. The meeting hadn't been what he expected, there were a lot more people in attendance than the oncologist had anticipated-people whose attitudes varied from the mother of who felt her twenty four year old son had been cheated out of life when his mobility had been limited in a car accident to a caregiver who wouldn't stop chattering about how precious her forty year old charge had been when interacting with the animals at a local petting zoo early that day.

For his part, Wilson sat in the back and quietly listened, making a mental note to seek out the petting zoo so he could take Greg and Rachel to visit the animals later in the week. The meeting had given him a few new tools he felt would be helpful in dealing with Greg but it had done nothing to ease his guilt about what had occurred early that week. Jumping into the van, Wilson found himself driving to a local toy store and pulling into the parking lot.

"Can I help you dear?" The elderly woman behind the counter smiled as Wilson walked in the door.

"No thank you." Wilson answered politely. He wandered down the aisles, selecting a bright yellow wooden duck that quacked when you pulled it along by its string, a bag of multi-colored rubber duckies, and a set of Hot Wheel cars. He knew the new toys would do nothing to ease Greg's nightmares or his conscious but it was the best he could come up with at the moment. After deciding on a cute, pink stuffed dog for Rachel, Wilson courteously checked out and headed for home.

"Thank god you're home." Cuddy was standing in the doorway as Wilson pulled his van into the driveway. "He had another nightmare. He was so upset that he had an accident. I tried to get him calmed down but…"

"Greg!" Wilson pushed his way past Cuddy and hurried into Greg's room. His friend sat on the floor with tears running down his face, hugging Dusty. Kneeling down on the floor, Wilson wiped the tears from Greg's face. "Hey buddy. Are you okay? I brought you something." He held out a paper bag from the toy store.

Greg let go of the dog, pushed the shopping bag aside, and reached out for the comfort of his friend. He flinched as Wilson pulled him into a hug. "Wilson, I sorry. Sorry, Wilson." The older man sniffed.

"What are you sorry about buddy? You didn't do anything wrong. Are you upset about having an accident? It's okay. No big deal." He stood up and ruffled Greg's hair.

"He needs...well he could use a bath." Cuddy stood in the doorway to Greg's room. "I didn't feel comfortable…what's in the bag?"

"Toys. I stopped at the toy store on the way home." Wilson braced himself for a lecture. "I know I shouldn't have but…"

"Wilson. Yuck." House tugged Wilson's pant leg, frowning.

Cuddy shook her head. "Get him into the tub. I've got to get home. Rachel fell asleep a half hour ago."

"Thanks for coming over Lisa. I'm sorry about Greg's nightmare. I owe you." He reached into the bag and pulled out the stuffed dog. "For Rachel."

Cuddy smiled. "Don't go spoiling my kid along with Greg." She teased. Noticing Wilson's frown she continued a little more gently. "I'm sure she'll love it. See you tomorrow."

Wilson ushered Greg into the bathroom as he heard the front door close. He had just started running the water when he noticed the older man opening the bathroom cupboard. "No, Greg." Wilson said little irritably. He reached over to pull off Greg's t-shirt so he could get him into the bath.

"NO!" Greg exploded. He quickly dodged from Wilson's grasp and limped down the hallway to his bedroom. When Wilson entered the room he found Greg in his bed trying to hide under the covers. "No hit. No hit."

"I'm not going to hit you, buddy." Wilson said sadly. He sat down on the bed only to be kicked by a frantically flailing leg. Dusty bared his teeth, causing Wilson to jump off of the bed. "Whoa! Easy Dusty! Calm down. You're okay."

House pulled the pillow over his head. "No hit." He sobbed. "Sorry! Sorry! No hit!"

"Greg, listen to me." Wilson pulled the pillow away from the older man's face. "I am not going to hurt you. I am never, ever going to hit you. I am so sorry." His words seemed to have no effect. Greg continued to back away from the oncologist who was desperately trying to comfort him. Dusty was still growling and showing his teeth. "Do you understand me? I am not ever going to hurt you."

"Sorry." Greg sobbed again, misinterpreting the urgency in Wilson's voice as anger. "I sorry."

Wilson sighed and picked the bag from the toy store off of the carpet. "Look, buddy. Duck." He pulled the wooden duck's string, causing it to quack. The tears stopped and a tear stained face was unearthed from the pillow where it had been trying to hide. Dusty finally calmed down and jumped off the bed.

"Duck?" Greg sniffed. He started to smile as he spotted the new plaything. "Mine duck?"

"All yours buddy." Wilson made a vain attempt to hug his friend. "Let's get you in the tub, okay?'

"Yuck." Greg replied quietly, as if he had suddenly remembered his wet pants. He passively followed Wilson back into the bathroom, playing happily with his new rubber ducks in the warm water without making so much as a peep.

"I'm sorry, buddy." Wilson whispered as he tucked Greg into his bed. He took a seat in the overstuffed chair and began to dial Cuddy' number on his cell phone. "Lisa? It's James. I need to talk to you. I've made a decision. I can't handle running Oncology anymore. I am going to step down as department head."


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry this took me so long to post. After several different rewrites I'm still not sure if it turned out okay or not...hopefully you enjoy. Warning: this chapter just might make you hungry for fresh baked cookies...of course Wilson can bake me cookies any day,lol! Most of this chapter is fluff..disclaimer goes here. **

Wilson had expected Cuddy would be less than thrilled with his sudden resignation. What he hadn't anticipated was a tongue lashing so severe it left him with a headache and ringing ears. Putting down the phone, Wilson headed to the kitchen to utilize one of his oldest methods of stress relief …baking a batch of cookies. The oncologist had just begun to mix flour and sugar together when the familiar sound of feet limping on tile reached his ears. "Hey buddy."

"Sorry Wilson." Wide blue eyes frantically searched for any sign of anger as Greg began to slowly back his way out of the kitchen, nearly tripping over Dusty in the process.

"It's okay." Wilson encouraged gently. "I'm not mad. Do you want to help?" The younger man held up a bag of chocolate chips and a small carton of eggs. "I'm making chocolate chip. Your favorite."

"I help?" Greg asked nervously. He tentatively moved closer to his friend, all the while keeping a wary eye on Wilson's hands. "I help." He repeated, a little more confident now that he was standing at the counter with the carton of eggs in his hand.

"Okay. Here we go." Wilson took Greg's hands in his own and carefully guided them over to a large mixing bowl, helping his friend crack an egg into the mixture. "Good job."

Greg gave a small smile. "I help Wilson."

"That's right. And you did a great job. Do you want to help me run the mixer?" Greg nodded eagerly, all hesitation lost in the excitement of being able to help make his favorite cookies. Wilson held House's hands steady as the mixer came roaring to life with the flip of a switch. The machine was old and very heavy but with Wilson's help Greg had no problem using it to blend the ingredients together. "Perfect! Great job buddy!"

Greg was grinning now. He gave a small yawn and slid down to the floor where Dusty sat hoping something would fall off of the counter and into his waiting jaws. "You." House yawned again.

"Okay." Wilson reached down slightly to tousle Greg's hair. "I'll let you know when it's time to add the chocolate chips, okay?"

"Yum chips." Greg agreed a bit drowsily, watching as Wilson finished adding the rest of the ingredients to the cookie dough and jumping a bit at the sound of the mixer coming back on. The mixer sent a few spatters of the cookie concoction flying across the room and Dusty raced over to slurp them off of the floor.

"Time to add the chips, buddy." Wilson looked down to find that Greg had fallen asleep, curled up on the kitchen floor in a tight ball. Chuckling to himself, Wilson finished the cookies and put them into the oven. "Come on bud, that floor can't be comfortable. Let's go wait in the living room."

House grudgingly let his friend help him off of the floor and on to the couch, mumbling to himself about 'bad Wilsons' until one of his favorite DVDs was popped into the player. The older man snuggled between his dog and his friend, trying to keep his eyes focused on the superhero flying across the TV screen. A few minutes later gentle snoring was coming from his direction. Deciding that overloading Greg with sugar could wait until tomorrow morning, Wilson helped the older man into bed, all the while silently hoping that something as simple as baking cookies together really could heal all of Greg's uncertainties but knowing it was more likely just a band-aid. This was real life and not a Disney movie. Warm cookies and time spent together in the kitchen did not cancel out lost tempers and resulting fears. Wilson sighed to himself as he settled down in the oversized chair, watching House sleep and wishing that things could be as simple as they were in the movies.

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"No! Help! Wilson, help!" The sandy-haired oncologist woke with a start. His eyes quickly shifted from the dark ceiling to Greg's bed where his friend laid thrashing wildly under the covers, calling for help over and over again. Wilson jumped to his feet and hurried to his distressed friend's bedside. "Help, Wilson! Please!"

Greg's eyes were open but he didn't look at Wilson. The blue orbs focused on an invisible tormentor who apparently resided somewhere near the ceiling above Greg's bed. "Greg, buddy…it's me. I'm here. It's okay." He reached out to touch House's shoulder but was hit in the face by a flailing hand. As he moved back the younger man could feel blood trickling from his nose. "Greg, wake up!"

Greg began to cry and tried to shield his face with his hands. Wilson couldn't tell if the other man's eyes were just open or if he was truly awake. "No hit! No hit!" House cried desperately. "Wilson! Help!"

Dusty began to bark frantically at the sound of his master's distressed cries. Wilson forced the hysterical dog out of the room and shut the door. "Greg. It's me. Wake up." Wilson tried again firmly. Greg continued to call Wilson's name in a panic. Forgetting his bleeding nose completely, Wilson moved back over to the bed and put a hand on Greg's shoulder. "Wake up."

"W-wilson?" A shaky voice sniffled cautiously. Greg slowly lowered a hand away from his face and took a tentative peek at the man who was now sitting at the edge of his bed.

"I'm here. Wilson's here." James reassured in a calming tone. He felt odd referring to himself in the third person but the familiar sound of his best friend's name seemed have a soothing effect on Greg. "Are you okay, buddy?"

"Wilson." Greg let out a small hiccup as he wiped his nose on his motorcycle comforter.

"It's okay, buddy. You're fine. It was just a bad dream." Greg looked unconvinced, somehow latching onto his teddy bear and Wilson's arm simultaneously. "I have an idea. How does cookies and milk sound?" Greg answered with a nod. He followed Wilson into the living room, dragging half of his bedding along for the ride. By the time Greg had munched down his second cookie he had calmed noticeably.

"Please." Greg smiled softly at his friend before taking a gulp of chocolate milk from his sports bottle.

"You're welcome, buddy." Wilson smiled back. As he watched his now crumb covered friend settle down to watch TV in a nest of blankets Wilson found himself becoming convinced that cookies were the magical cure for everything after all.

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"You want to yell at me. You have this great lecture about how the hospital needs me and how I'm being selfish and throwing my life away." Wilson guessed as he entered Cuddy's office with Greg and Dusty in tow. "I, however, don't have the time to listen. I have to pick up Hector…"

"Bad Woofy." Greg interrupted with a scowl.

"Yes, bad Woofy, Greg. Anyway, pick up the dog from the vet's office in less than fifteen minutes, have Greg at his psych appointment in a half hour, get him to therapy by noon and be back at the hospital to see a patient by twelve fifteen…which give me fifteen minutes to get Greg to his classes and zero minutes to listen to your lecture." Wilson paused to take a breath.

"If you're so busy what are you doing here?" Cuddy raised an eyebrow.

Wilson tossed a backpack at her desk. "I need you to watch Greg while I go pick up Woofy…Hector…I meant Hector… from the vet. I am not letting Greg rename the dog. I'll be back in fifteen...no... twenty minutes." Wilson's hurried speech left Cuddy's head spinning. By the time she opened her mouth to tell Wilson she didn't have time to watch Greg her employee had already disappeared down the hall.

"Hi Greg." The sleepy looking man stood in the middle of the office still dressed in his pajamas, griping tightly to a chocolate chip cookie. From the crumbs on his PJs it appeared he had eaten quite a few cookies this morning. "Why are you still in your PJs?"

The former diagnostician ignored his former boss completely, taking a seat on the couch next to Dusty and munching on the cookie. After awhile he began to stare at the ceiling and mumble a little tune about his love for ducks and his distaste for peas. "Yes ducks, no peas." He finally finished loudly in the same sing-a-song tone.

"Why aren't you dressed?" Cuddy repeated.

"Ears, mouth, nose, eyes." Greg disregarded the question again, this time jabbing at the corresponding body part on Dusty's face. Dusty shied away as his master came dangerously close to poking one of the little spaniel's eyes out.

"Greg. I know you understand what I'm asking you. Why aren't you dressed? Why are you still in your jammies?" Cuddy raised her voice a bit.

Greg gave up trying to entertain Lisa and gave a small shrug. He pointed at his backpack which sat on the floor in front of Lisa's desk. "Mine clothes."

"Take your backpack into the bathroom and get dressed." Cuddy replied slowly. She pointed to the bathroom adjacent to her office. "In there. Get dressed. Okay?" Remembering how Greg had bitten an attendant at his rehab facility who was trying to dress him Lisa prayed that Greg would comply with her request. Instead he just lifted his arms above his head. "No, Greg. You need to dress yourself."

"You." Greg whined, heading over to the backpack and placing on the desk with a chocolate covered hand. He put his arms up again and looked at Lisa expectantly.

"I know you can dress yourself. I've seen you pull clothes off. If you can take them off there is no reason you can't put them on." Greg stuck out a lower lip but Cuddy just shook her head. "Bathroom, now."Greg sniffed and headed off to the lavatory, Dusty following closely behind. Cuddy had just started to get back to work when she heard water running. "Greg?"

"Lisa." A voice came from the bathroom. Lisa rushed in to find the sink overflowing onto the bathroom tile. Greg stood in his underpants, smiling sweetly amidst the flood. "Look, Lisa."

"I see that." She replied tensely. "Where are your clothes?" Greg pointed to the brimming sink of water. At the bottom of the deep basin sat not only the clothes Wilson had packed for the day but the pajamas that Greg had been wearing earlier as well.

"I help." Greg announced proudly. "Bath time." He pointed at Dusty, who was now covered in a thick layer of hand soap.

"Greg." Cuddy turned off the sink. Grabbing a Dixie cup that was floating along the counter top she began to dump the water over the irate, soapy spaniel. Greg stood watching the process with curiosity. "Look at this mess." She abandoned her spaniel rinsing efforts to lead Greg back into the office. "We do not play with the sink. The sink is not a toy." Looking up at her former employee, Cuddy suddenly felt ridiculous lecturing a 6'3 man who was dressed only in his underpants about playing in the sink. "Go sit down until Wilson gets back." She pointed to the couch and sighed as she sat down at her desk.

"Sorry Lisa." Greg sat shivering on the couch with a wet, smelly Dusty plastered at his side. Lisa looked up just in time to see a tear slide down his cheek. Now that Greg wasn't towering over her it was much easier for Lisa to think of him as Greg-who thinks like a child and not House-her former employee. His puppy-dog expression and clean shaven face made him appear younger than the man who had worked as a doctor in her hospital for so many years. The fact that his dark, curly hair was in bad need of a cut and threatened to cover his bright blue eyes only added to the facade of youth.

"It's okay, sweetie. I'm not mad." Lisa reassured, removing a small blanket from Greg's backpack and wrapping it around his shoulders. "Let's find you some clothes. You don't want to go around in your undies all day."

By the time Wilson returned Greg had been dressed in a pair of brightly colored scrubs that were a size too small for him. He sat on the floor playing his Gameboy and grinned up as he noticed his friend walking through the door. "Hi Wilson!"

"Hey buddy. I got Hector back…" Wilson paused, noticing Greg's interesting new outfit. "Why is he wearing that?"

Cuddy walked over and dropped a trash bag containing Greg's wet clothes at Wilson's feet. "That's why." She motioned to the open bathroom door, where a janitor was still mopping up the lake House had created.

Wilson looked at the bag of wet clothes, then at the janitor mopping, then at the clothes again and started to laugh. Cuddy glared back at him. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh…it's just." He took a deep breath and tried to hold in his laughter. "I can imagine him standing there and…" He paused again and composed himself. "I am sure it wasn't funny for you. I am so sorry." He coughed to cover up a final snicker.

"Ha ha ha." Cuddy rolled her eyes. "You weren't the one who had to get all of the soap off of the dog."

"He put soap on the dog?" Wilson looked like he was about to start laughing again. "At least the water was from the sink and not the toilet."

"Very funny." Cuddy crossed her arms. "Be glad I didn't make you clean up the mess."

Wilson pretended to look down at his watch. "We've got to run. Greg's appointment."

"I'm not through with you yet. I've still got the whole lecture about how the hospital needs you and…"

"I'll have to take a rain check." Wilson replied sheepishly.

"You are not getting out of this. I am not just going to step aside and let one of the best doctors in this hospital destroy his career over some misplaced…."

"I'm sorry Lisa. We really are going to be late." Lisa frowned as Wilson began to gather up Greg's things. "I'll bring you cookies?"

**author's note: I promise that I (well, in the story Cuddy) will deal with Wilson trying to leave his post at the hospital in the next chapter. Obviously he isn't going to be able to win her over with cookies, no matter how good they are. =P**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry this took so long to post! I swear I haven't forgot about this story! Thanks for all of the reviews of the previous chapter and hope you enjoy! =) **

Wilson looked down at the rug; certain he had worn a path in its dark fibers. The oncologist had been pacing in front of the two-way mirror for some time now, anxious for answers. On the other side of the mirror was Greg. The older man sat at a little table, happily playing with crayons and totally oblivious to the fact that he was being psychoanalyzed by the nice lady sitting next to him. Everyone once and awhile Wilson would catch the blue eyes looking up at the mirror, nervously studying their own reflection. He wished Greg could see him through the glass so he could give his friend a reassuring smile. Shaking his head Wilson finally took a seat in an uncomfortable plastic chair facing the mirror. At least the psychiatrist had allowed Greg to keep Dusty in the room with him.

"Aren't you supposed to be with a patient?" Cuddy's concerned voice suddenly filled the quiet little space where Wilson had been waiting. Wilson couldn't tell if that concern was for him or for the patient he was supposed to be meeting with.

"I referred him to one of my underlings. Very House, don't you think?" Wilson replied wryly, trying to mask his anxiety with sarcasm. He gazed back through the mirror, watching as Greg started to play with Dusty's ears.

"Certainly not very Wilson. Is everything okay?" The concern was definitely for the oncologist and not the patient. Cuddy studied her employee closely as he stared through the glass. "Is Greg okay?"

Wilson sighed. "His nightmares have been getting worse. Last night I couldn't tell if he was dreaming or having an episode while he was awake. He kept calling my name over and over…asking me to help him." He swallowed, holding back tears. "It was terrifying. For both of us. I made the appointment last night but I didn't think it would take this long."

"If things like this are the reason you want to step down…" Cuddy started.

"I don't want to talk about my job right now." Wilson snapped. He waved his arm at the mirror. "I'm busy. House…Greg...he's in there, probably because of something I did…" Wilson's rant was interrupted by a door opening. House's psychiatrist greeted her fellow doctors with a gentle smile.

"Dr. Wilson…"

"How is he? Is he going to be okay?" Wilson nervously blurted out, unable to wait any longer.

"It's so hard to tell with him. He is speech is so limited. The most I got verbally was a little song about ducks and peas. Very creative but not very helpful. I tried to get him to draw some pictures but all I got was this." The psychiatrist held up a paper covered in random brightly colored squiggles. "Again not very helpful in coming up with a diagnosis. I recommend that he stays here overnight. We can put him in the sleep study lab and see if we can find any clues there."

"I wasn't planning on this session being any longer than a half hour. I have other patients besides…" Wilson paused and glanced uneasily back through the glass. Greg sat quietly cuddling with his dog and chewing on a crayon. "He's eating a crayon."

"I'll take care of it." Greg's doctor reassured. "You don't need to stay and observe the entire session. He'll be fine. If we have any concerns we'll give you a call." Wilson nodded numbly and headed out of the room. He was halfway to his office when he felt Cuddy's hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I was so hard on you last night. I understand why you want to step down. It's just hard for me to let this hospital lose such a good head of oncology. Will you at least let me talk to the board and see…?"

Wilson turned to face his boss. "I appreciate the fact you're willing to speak to the board so I can keep my job. I really do. But something has got to give. I'll still be working at this hospital. I'll still be seeing the same patients. I just don't have time for the hours of paperwork and the board meetings and the fundraisers…"

"What if I find you another babysitter to watch him during the day? I'll do an extensive background check this time. He can be right down the hall from your office again." Lisa asked desperately. "I'll talk to the board; get you a few extra days off…"

Wilson smiled gently and shook his head. "I'm sorry Lisa. I'm stepping down and there is nothing anyone can do to change my mind. I've given this a lot of thought. You're right about the babysitter though. I don't like leaving him at that rehab place all day."

"I'm speaking to the board before I file your resignation." Lisa answered stubbornly.

"Okay." Wilson conceded. He started to walk away, then paused and turned back again. "Do you want to stop by my house later on? Maybe have some dinner?" He wanted to add that the house would seem so empty without Greg and Dusty there but didn't want to seem too desperate for company.

"Sure. I'll be there around eight." Lisa gave Wilson as soft hug.

"Thanks." Wilson whispered, pulling away. "See you around eight. I'll make cookies."

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"You really thought the psychiatrist could work out all that in a half an hour?" Cuddy sat in Wilson's kitchen, nibbling on a cookie and listening to the story of Greg's last nightmare.

"Wishful thinking." Wilson smiled sheepishly, shoving the last batch of cookies in the oven and casting a wary glance at Hector who sat contently chewing on a rawhide bone. "How's the cookie?"

"Just as good as the first three batches. Are you planning a bake sale?"

"Sorry. I'm just stressed. I'll probably end up leaving a plate for Foreman's new fellows. What are their names again? He always just refers to them as "Thirteen and a half" and "New Kutner". He keeps them so busy that I haven't gotten a chance to introduce myself. I swear he's more of a slave driver than House was."

"See why I want to keep you as a department head? Foreman is starting to make me regret giving him House's old position. And it's Dr. Cora and Dr. Patel. "New Kutner"…" Cuddy shook her head. "He really is becoming as bad as House."

"I thought "Thirteen and a half" was worse than "New Kutner" for some reason." Wilson replied. "And I'm sure House would be proud of Foreman's creative new nicknames for his employees." He sighed. "I'll just be glad to have Greg home. It's too quiet without him here."

"I could always sing a song about ducks." Cuddy joked.

"I haven't heard this song yet." Wilson replied glumly. "He's been really nervous around me lately. He actually apologized when he got out of bed last night. It's like he thinks I'm going to hurt him."

"He'll be fine, James." Just as Cuddy spoke the phone rang. Wilson turned pale as he listened to the voice on the other end. "What's going on?"

"He's not fine." Wilson let the receiver drop from his hand and rushed out the door without any further explanation.

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The scenario had become all too familiar for Wilson's taste. Speeding to the hospital, pulse racing, worrying about Greg. The brown eyed doctor ran a red light as he sped into the PPTH parking lot, not caring that he parked in a fire lane. He jumped out of the van and hurried down to the sleep study lab, cursing himself for leaving Greg alone overnight. Nearly slipping on the tile floor in his haste, Wilson found Greg's room and stopped in the doorway.

"Hi Wilson!" Greg dropped the juice box he has been sipping on to smile brightly at the unexpected arrival of his best friend. Dusty lifted his head from the blankets and greeted Wilson with a large yawn. "Wilson, look." Greg held up a small blue stuffed dog. "Mine Blue Clues."

"Dr. Wilson." A young nurse skidded his way into the room. "We were trying to get a hold of you. We got him calmed down so…"

"It's fine." Wilson waved his hand dismissively even though his heart was still racing. "I'm just glad he's okay. Could you please send his doctor in as soon as she's available?" The young nurse nodded and left the room. "Hey buddy." He sat down at the end of Greg's bed. "We missed you at home. I hear you gave your doctors a real scare. You had me pretty scared too."

Greg looked a bit perplexed and held out the stuffed dog again. "Blue Clues." When Wilson didn't take the dog he tried again with the juice box. "Nom?"

"I haven't heard that one in awhile. Are you okay buddy?" The older man was now nervously playing with Dusty's ears and humming to himself. "Greg?"

"Wilson." He let go of Dusty and scooted closer to his friend. After a brief hesitation he wrapped Wilson in a tight hug.

"It's okay." Wilson whispered, letting Greg bury his face in his shoulder. He didn't let go until he heard footsteps in the doorway.

"He had us really worried." Greg's doctor looked tired. "I was afraid we were going to have to sedate him."

"So do you think it's some kind of panic attack or a nightmare?" Greg seemed completely relaxed now, leaning against Wilson and sipping on the juice box. "He seems fine now."

"I think the nightmares are stress related." The psychiatrist answered slowly. "At least they seem to be brought on by stress. I'm going to prescribe him a mild anti-anxiety medication and a sleep aid. We'll take it from there. You can help by trying to keep his stress level down as much as possible. Keep things on a schedule; make sure bedtime as relaxing as possible."

Wilson nodded apprehensively, watching Greg closely as his friend scooted back to the other side of the bed and started trying to get Dusty to drink from the juice box. "Is that it? He'll be okay?"

"Unless things don't improve we'll leave it at that for now. I want you bring him back in a week for another session. As it is I don't see any reason why you can't take him home now. Being here isn't helping his stress level any. I'll have the nurse give him a sleep aide before you leave. It should have kicked in before you get home."

"Thanks." Wilson felt a strange mix of confusion and relief wash over him as he waited for the nurse to administer the prescription before loading Greg into his wheel chair and then into the van. "I'm just glad you're okay." Wilson repeated to House's sleeping form as he heaved his unconscious friend back into the wheel chair and pushed him past the threshold.

"Is he okay?" A worried dean of medicine greeted them in the entryway along with Hector, who looked none too pleased with Dusty's return.

"It's stress related. It's all stress. The nightmares…the reason I can't come back as department head. It's all stress related." Suddenly Wilson felt the weight of all the constant worry bare down on his shoulders. He felt like exhausted and momentarily considered sliding to the floor.

"Are you okay?" Cuddy grabbed Hector's collar and pulled the little terrier back before he could snap at Dusty. "Do you need help?"

"I'm exhausted." Wilson admitted. "I haven't slept well in days."

"You get Greg tucked in, I'll take care of the dogs." Cuddy said gently. "Is Hector supposed to go in his pen at night?" She motioned to the little doggie playpen set up behind the couch.

Wilson nodded, not entirely sure how he was still standing or how he had make it this far into the week on so little sleep. He felt like he had taken the sleeping aid along with Greg. "I'll get Greg tucked in." Wilson repeated, now half asleep. He sat down on the couch and decided to close his eyes for just a second before tucking Greg in.

"Do you…" Cuddy turned back at the sound of soft snoring. She shook her head and went to find a blanket.

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"I think I've been running on a mix of coffee and adrenaline." Wilson's face was still red at waking to find himself being tucked in by his boss. "I've just been so worried about Greg. Between that and trying to do my job and take care of the dogs and…"

"I understand why you want to step down as department head." Cuddy replied softly. "I knew you were stressed, that you were worried about Greg…I guess I was thinking about what was best for the hospital and not for the people involved in the situation. I'm sorry."

"Are you accepting my resignation?" Wilson's expression changed from embarrassed to confused.

Cuddy nodded a bit sadly. "I'll inform the board tomorrow. You have tenure so you won't have to worry about a pay cut. I'll see you at work. I need to get home." She got up and headed for the door.

"Lisa, wait." Wilson stood up causing Cuddy to pause in the doorway.

"What it is it, James?"

Wilson wanted to explain that he wasn't angry, that he didn't blame her for any of this. He wanted to tell his boss that he enjoyed spending time with her and hoped they could do more of this now that he wouldn't be stuck in his office as often. He wanted to at the very least thank her for her help and understanding. "Um…don't forget to take home some cookies for Rachel."


	14. Chapter 14 new redo version!

**Tried to update a little more soonly this time! Craziness at home has made it hard for me to find time to write lately! It also made me forget parts of my own story, which is why I had to go back and rewrite the entire end of this chapter and repost it. Sorry for any inconveniences/confusion due to my own lack of sleep/brain function. Hope this "rewrite" version is enjoyable....people who re-read and review are _extra_ awsome =) Thanks to those who pointed out my mistake the first time around....  
**

Wilson wasn't surprised to wake the next morning to find a message from Cuddy telling him to take the next few days off. He was surprised to find that Greg wasn't in the kitchen raiding the cookies that the oncologist had foolishly left out on the counter top. He wasn't even in the living room watching cartoons or teasing 'Bad Woofy' who was stuck in his new pen. A quick but nerve wracking search found the older man still curled up in his bed, still very much asleep.

"Hey big guy." Wilson gently shook the sleeping man. "Time to get up. I have the day off so we get to spend the whole day together. I thought we could go to the park and visit the ducks."

Wilson had expected an immediate response at the word 'ducks'. Instead Greg cracked an eye open just enough for a blue slit to glare up at Wilson, giving the former diagnostician's face an almost cat-like appearance. After a few seconds of glowering the older man finally rolled back over and mumbled "No ducks." into his pillow.

"No ducks? That sleeping pill must still need some time to wear off all the way." Wilson smiled gently as he yanked the blankets away from his friend's body. "Come on buddy, at least get up and have some breakfast." House whimpered and reluctantly followed an overly cheerful Wilson into the living room. He frowned as he plopped down on the couch next to Dusty. "What sounds good for breakfast? Eggs? Cheerios? Pancakes?" Greg ignored Wilson's upbeat inquires and flipped on the TV. Wilson frowned. Greg was usually very opinionated on the subject of what was served for his morning meal. "Buddy? Breakfast?"

"No nom." Greg frowned, reverting back to his old speech patterns as he curled up in a tight ball at the end of the couch. Wilson tried not to be too concerned as he headed into the kitchen. There was a good chance the sleep aid from last night just hadn't quite worn off yet.

"Peas it is." Wilson said in a warning tone, deliberately choosing Greg's least favorite food in an effort to elicit some sort of response from the man. When none came Wilson sighed and headed for the kitchen, quickly returning with a bowl of Cheerios. "Here you go."

House shoved the bowl aside. "Yuck. No nom." The blue eyed man pulled a blanket off of the back of couch and curled up tighter. "Bad Wilson."

"Bad you, not eating your breakfast." Wilson sat down on the couch next to his friend and put a hand on his forehead. "You aren't warm. Are you sure you don't want to go see the ducks?"

"No ducks. No nom." House sniffed. Wilson began to worry as he went to pick up the phone.

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"It started with him not wanting to see the ducks." Wilson sat in House's doctor's office, watching Greg doze on the rug near his feet. "That's not like him at all. He loves ducks. He even sings a little song about them sometimes. The nurse on the phone was sure it was just the sleep aid."

"But he continued to be lethargic for the rest of the day?" The psychiatrist questioned.

"He napped the rest of the day. Ever since he started those new meds he's been like a ragdoll. He doesn't want to eat anything, he doesn't play with his toys, he doesn't even want to watch TV. He's either asleep or sitting on the couch staring at the ceiling like a zombie. I know you wanted us to wait till next week before our next visit but I'm really worried about him." Wilson frowned and rubbed the back of his neck.

"As you know, it can take the body awhile to adjust to a new medication. I want to wait until the end of the week and see if there is any improvement."

Wilson looked down at Greg again. His friend was dead to the world, arms wrapped around his dog. There was no way the cheap carpet in the psychiatrist's office was comfortable but the older man had fallen asleep on it only seconds after their arrival. "I don't know. I have to go back to work in a few days…"

"Dr. Cuddy told me you're stepping down as department head." The woman analyzed. "Surprising move, especially coming from you. I'm sure you worked hard to get so far at such a young age." When Wilson didn't react she paused and cleared her throat. "I'll talk to Cuddy and explain you need a few more days off while Greg adjusts to his new meds. I'm sure she'll understand the situation."

"Thanks." Wilson suppressed a sigh as he maneuvered the still sleeping Greg into his wheelchair. It was not the outcome he was hoping for. The younger man hated seeing his friend so out of it all of the time, not even able to muster enough energy for a visit to his favorite park. He also concerned because Greg wasn't eating properly and had lost a noticeable amount of weight.

"I'll see you two next week. Give me a call if you have any other concerns or if things worsen." Wilson nodded as he pushed Greg out the door, closely followed by Dusty. Greg didn't stir once as Wilson moved him into car and Wilson couldn't help but worry all the way home.

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"Just one bite. You can't live off of juice and chocolate milk." Wilson tried to hold back the frustration in his voice as Greg groggily shoved aside a spoonful of banana pudding and covered his mouth. "It's pudding. The way you're acting you'd think I was trying to feed you poison!"

"No nom!" Greg whined, laying his head down on the kitchen table. "No nana pudding." He picked up his sports bottle from next to his bowl and began to listlessly sip at its contents. Letting his other arm flop onto the table, he pushed the bowl of pudding onto the floor.

Just as Wilson went to clean up the mess there was a soft knock at the door. Hector barked noisily from his pen as both Wilson and Dusty went to greet their unexpected guest. "Mrs. House?"

"Hello James." Gregory John House's mother stood on the door step, holding a small bag and smiling. "Can I come in? I hope I haven't caught you at an inopportune moment."

"Um…no. I was just…" The clatter of a sports bottle hitting the floor came from the kitchen.

"How's Gregory?."

"Yes well…" Greg chose that moment to amble into the living room and collapse onto the couch. Wilson hadn't bothered to dress him for the day so he was only wearing a Sponge Bob pajama top and a pair of the disposable underwear he usually wore to bed. He smiled at his mother's semi-familiar face before curling up and burying his head under a pillow. "Um…so…" Wilson stammered, unsure where to start.

"It's okay, dear. I've already spoken to Dr. Cuddy. She told me everything. Of course as soon as I found out what was going on with my son I got on a plane." Wilson's mother smiled at her son's best friend gently. "I wish you would have gotten a hold of me sooner."

"How did Cuddy find you? I mean...I tried to get a hold of you...." Wilson's voice was a mix of shock and a bit of annoyance. He couldn't believe Cuddy would track down Greg's mother and not tell him first. He wasn't at all prepared for this meeting, inevitable as it was.

"It's okay, James. I don't suppose Greg would have left my forwarding address laying around for others to find. He was always funny about that sort of thing." Mrs. House looked down sadly at her only son, who was now asleep at the end of the couch.

Wilson was still in a bit of shock as he sat down next to Greg's napping form. "He didn't. He didn't leave any record of any other friends or relatives either. I thought...I though it was just me and him."

"I'm sorry James." House's mom shook her head. "He never did like talking about his family. You'd think he was ashamed of us or something. He and his father were never close but now after John died I had hoped...." She let her voice trail off. "I certainly didn't except this."

Wilson felt genuinely sorry for Greg's mother. He couldn't begin to imagine what she was going through. It was hard enough finding out his best friend had brain damage, but your only son? "I'm sorry Mrs House." The sentiment sounded lame under the circumstances, like a plate or something of the like had broken instead of the woman's only son, but it was the best Wilson could do at the moment. He tried to smile and change the subject. "How long are you planning on staying in town? Do you have a place to stay?"

"I'm afraid...seeing Gregory like this...I just wanted to make sure he was okay... I hadn't heard from him in awhile and started to worry. I contacted the hospital and...I just can't believe..."

"I understand." Wilson said gently as he pulled a blanket over his sleeping friend and kicked Dusty off of the couch so Greg's mom would have a place to sit.

"Let me cook you dinner before I leave." She returned Wilson's sad smile. "You look like you could use a good meal."

"You don't have to do that. I could cook something..."

"Nonsense. After all you've done for my son the least I can do is cook you a nice dinner. Just show me to the kitchen."

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The smell of House's mother's pot roast filled the house as Wilson tucked Greg into his bed. "Are you sure you don't want any dinner?" Wilson asked gently. "You probably don't remember but you used to always say your mom made the best pot roast in the entire universe." He smiled to himself, remembering the House from days long past standing in his kitchen declaring that Wilson's pot roast was nothing compared to his mother's. It was one of the few times House had actually mentioned his mother to Wilson without the younger man having to pry. "You could just try a few of the potatoes."

"No nom." Greg replied groggily, gripping the empty sport bottle he had refused to hand over to Wilson when he crawled into bed. Pulling his teddy bear to his chest, Greg rolled over and curled himself around Dusty. The little dog let out a small sigh and allowed himself to be used as an extra pillow.

Wilson wandered back into the living room after making sure Greg's nightlight was on and the older man was comfortable in bed. It was a strange feeling to have someone else cooking in the house but not a unpleasant one. The smell of home cooking made James feel at ease until House's mother popped her head through the kitchen doorway. Wilson couldn't help pitying the poor woman."Is he asleep?"

"He's out. I wish he would have stayed up long enough to try some dinner."

"When Greg was little he never wanted to eat when he was sick. I know he isn't actually a little again…but, well…has he been sick?" House's mom looked as if she were about to cry as she asked about her son's health.

Wilson shook his head and answered gently. "It's these new medications they have him on. They make him groggy. His doctor started him on them because he wasn't sleeping well. Now he's sleeping too well and hardly eating. They want to keep him on the meds a little longer to see how his body adjusts to them." He purposely left out the part about the nightmares, not wanting to upset House's mother any worse than she already was.

"Maybe the medications have him feeling a little under the weather." House's mom countered optimistically, trying to force a smile back on her face. "I know he always complained the medication for his leg upset his stomach. At least that was his excuse for not eating much the last time I saw him."

Wilson nodded along and followed Mrs House back into the kitchen. "It smells good in here."

"Pot roast was always Greg's favorite. He always told me I made the best in the whole universe. When he was little me used to beg me to make it for dinner. He was always..." Her voice broke and she shifted her gaze to the sports bottle and the bowl of pudding on the floor. "You know you don't have to do this James. I know you and Greg are close. You've always be such a good friend to him but...Dr. Cuddy told me you plan on stepping down from your position at the hospital to take care of my son. You shouldn't have to do that. I'm his mother and I couldn't handle..."

Wilson didn't know what to say. After a few moments of awkward silence he finally managed a hoarse. "I understand Mrs. House...I mean I can't imagine how hard this is for you but I understand why you couldn't handle caring for Greg..."

"I'm his mother." Mrs. House repeated. "I have money. I could set him up in a..."

"He's happy here. I don't mind taking caring of him." Wilson replied honestly. "Greg is more important to me than my job."

"Greg would have never admitted it but you were like a brother to him." House's mother sniffed. "I just can't believe...my little boy. All I ever wanted was for him to be happy." Wilson abandoned his plate to scoot closer to the visibly upset woman and put an arm around her shoulder. "He's lucky to have such a good friend."

Again Wilson was at a loss for words. He found it odd that he comforted the parent's of relatively unfamiliar dying children every day but couldn't come with a few simple words of comfort for the mother of his best friend. Again he cursed Cuddy for not calling and letting him prepare for this moment. He hoped this wasn't some sort of attempt to get back at him for stepping down as department head. He doubted it. That didn't sound like Lisa at all. More than likely she hadn't had time to contact James before House's mom had hopped the first flight to Jersey...Mrs. House might not have even informed her son's former boss of her intent to visit. After a bit more uncomfortable silence Wilson finally cleared his throat. "You could stay awhile if you like...I'm sure Greg..."

"I'm sure he would." Mrs. House quickly interrupted. "If he even remembers me. I wish I could. I really do. You can think what you want James, but I only came to make sure you and my son were okay. I know it probably makes me a bad person, a bad mother...but after losing John..." House's mother's voice started to break again. "I'll leave my number. If you need anything please give me a call. Just please don't ask me to come see him again. This was hard enough."

Wilson watched a bit blankly as House's mother quickly took a pen from her purse and scribbled a number down on a napkin. He was still in shock as she left the house as quickly as she had come, the only sighs of her visit being the napkin on the table and the pot roast on the stove. He hoped the Greg was out of it enough not to remember his mother's sudden visit...maybe Mrs House was right and Greg didn't even remember her in the first place. Securing the napkin to the refrigerator with a magnet, Wilson grabbed his cell phone and dialed Cuddy's number.

**Again hopefully this rewrite version came out okay...I had to change the direction I was going with the next chapter but that is what I get for being so loopy that I forgot about the death of one of the main character's mother's in the prequel to this story! I need to catch up on my sleep before I write again! Again people who re-read and re-review are _extra_ awesome! People who didn't read the first attempt at this and just read/review this version are still pretty darn awesome as well. =) Thanks for reading!!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Actually got a chance to write again today! Amazing! Here is chapter 15 with chapter 16 to follow. =) Hope you enjoy and thanks for all the reviews on the previous chapter! Disclaimer says I am too poor to own anything as cool as the character from House, even though I could really use their help around my house. =P**

"Why didn't you call me?" Wilson grumbled. He was fairly shaken up by House's mother's sudden arrival and abrupt departure. He was now even more frazzled by the unexpected appearance of his boss. Wilson was certain that Cuddy was upset with him but realized how childish the words 'I thought you were mad at me' would sound coming out of his mouth.

"I did call. Four times. I would have left a message but your machine didn't pick up." Cuddy's expression was a strange mix of sympathy and annoyance.

"You did not." Wilson huffed, holding up his cell phone. "I got your message about taking the days off…"

"I called your landline." Cuddy interrupted, motioning to the phone hanging on the kitchen wall. "I was in a board meeting all day and couldn't remember your new cell phone number. I would have left and come over if I knew the woman was planning on hopping the first flight to Jersey."

Wilson frowned. "The phone didn't ring once all day." He got up and examined the phone and the answering machine sitting next to it. Both of the cords had been chewed completely through. Looking at the little white dog snoozing under Cuddy's chair, Wilson shook his head. "Hector. I should have guessed."

Cuddy started at Wilson. "That dog chewed through the cords? My god Wilson, no wonder your going nuts. Why don't you get some help around here? Whatever happened to that cleaning lady you used to have?"

"Lady? Greg scared her away ages ago…long before any of this all started. I thought about hiring another one but…"

"But what? Just do it. You think I don't have help taking care of my house? Taking care of Rachel? In case you failed to notice you are not Superman. And you need the help. Badly." Cuddy surveyed the messy kitchen with a hint of disdain. Despite the fact that Wilson hadn't even been into work in the past few days the kitchen counter was covered in dishes, toys littered the floor and unhealthy layer of dog hair covered the tile.

"We're fine." Wilson answered uncomfortably. "Well, we were until Greg's mom decided to show up. I'm worried about his reaction when he wakes up. If he wakes up. He's done nothing but sleep for the past few days."

"Have you tried readjusting the dosage on his medication?" Cuddy questioned.

"His doctor wanted to see how his…"

"I know that. But you said he's been losing weight." When Wilson's only response was a perplexed stare Cuddy frowned at her employee and tapped the side of his head. Wilson jumped back a little, rubbing his head and frowning back at his boss. "Sorry. Just trying to make sure you still have a functioning brain in there. You did go to medical school, didn't you? Or were you lying on your application?"

Wilson's frown turned into a scowl. "Of course I went to medical school. What does that have to do with Greg's meds? I'm an oncologist, not a psychiatrist."

"How do doctors figure out the correct dosage for medication?"

"By weight. But...Oh…I am an idiot." A light bulb clicked on in Wilson's head. "How could I have missed that?" He shook his head and looked down at the floor. "But that first day…"

"Was probably just the sleep aid needing some time to wear off. The medication probably upset his stomach so he didn't feel like eating, which made him feel worse. The combination of all of that is probably what made him want to sleep. I'm guessing the real problem didn't start until he started losing the weight."

"I mentioned the sleeping and the lack of appetite to his doctor but didn't say anything about the weight loss. I've been overdosing him this whole time. I'm an idiot." Wilson repeated, burying his face in his hands.

"You're not an idiot." Cuddy said a little more gently. "You're stressed out, over worked, and haven't been getting enough sleep. Welcome to my world. The good news is that I talked to the board and they worked out a plan to keep you on as head of Oncology."

"I told you…"

"Will you just listen for one second before you start your whole stubborn, self-pitying routine? The board agreed to allow me to hire another doctor for your department to take over some of your workload. They also agreed that from now on all department heads are only required to attend board and budget meetings if issues in their specific departments are going to be discussed."

Wilson gawked at the woman sitting next to him. "I thought the board wanted to fire me because I kept calling in sick and leaving early?"

Cuddy laughed. "Do really think House was the only doctor I ever threatened with firing to get them to do their job? I swear half the hospital wouldn't show up for work if they didn't think their next alleged 'sick day' might be their last."

"House was right about you. Behind that sweet face lurks a real Cutthroat Bitch." Wilson paused. "Not that I am comparing you to Amber…not that I ever actually thought that Amber was a bitch…I mean…you are both pretty and…" His face turned red as Cuddy took mercy on him and interrupted his rambling.

"Of course if you come back I'm going to expect a few things from you too. I want you to find another babysitter for Greg as soon as possible. I don't want your office used as a playroom anymore, especially when you are seeing patients. I also want you to keep attending both your regular counseling meeting and the group for caretakers of people with disabilities." She paused as Wilson nodded in agreement. "And for god sakes hire a damn housekeeper. This place is a mess. And do something about that white dog. Can't you find him another home? I hear Cameron is in the market for a new pet."

"I can't get rid of Hector." Wilson protested. "He's old. I doubt Cameron would want him. Besides, I think Greg likes the dog."

"Bye-bye Bad Woofy." Greg stood in the doorway, rubbing his eyes and waving at the little white dog. From behind him Dusty wagged his tail in agreement. "Bad Woofy go bye?" He shot a quizzical look at Wilson as he took a seat between his friend and his former boss.

"Yeah, I can tell Greg just adores the dog." Cuddy replied sarcastically. She turned to Greg, who sat tapping his empty sports bottle on the table. "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

Greg frowned and looked around the room. "Where?"

Wilson turned pale, terrified of the question to come next. He had no idea how to explain Greg's mother's sudden visit or departure to someone who thought 'nom' was an acceptable part of the English language. Realizing that James was at a loss for words, Lisa remained calm and gently asked. "Where's who, honey?"

"Where Rachel?" Greg demanded, looking around again. He looked accusingly at Cuddy for daring to show up without his favorite toddler in tow.

"Sorry, sweetie. She's at home sleeping. I though you would be sleeping too." Wilson breathed a sigh of relief. Crisis averted, at least for the time being. Greg yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Are you hungry? Wilson tells me you haven't been eating much lately."

Greg laid his head down on the table. "No nom." He frowned and held up his empty sports bottle. "Juice."

Cuddy turned sharply to Wilson. "You didn't tell me that he's been drinking a bunch of liquids lately. Did you think to mention that to his doctor? Why didn't you bring him into the clinic?"

A bewildered Wilson stammered "I didn't think it was important. I thought his stomach was empty so he…"

Ignoring Wilson, Lisa turned back to Greg. "Honey, does your tummy hurt?" Greg shrugged lethargically, burying his face in his arm, causing Lisa to turn her attention back to the flustered Wilson. "Has he had a fever? Problems peeing? Any sighs of kidney problems?"

"No fever." Wilson answered quietly. "No sighs of any problems. He's just been really tired."

"Along with the loss of appetite and drinking excess liquids." Cuddy reminded sharply. "It still could be the meds but I want you to have him into the clinic first thing tomorrow morning. Then meet me in my office."

Wilson's eyes grew wide. "Lisa, if I would have noticed any signs of infection or…"

"Will you relax? You're still on vacation and I have tomorrow afternoon off. I thought we could take Rachel and Greg to the mall, as long as Greg checks out okay. If it's a simple matter of readjusting his dosage he should be feeling better in no time. For tonight I would skip the sleep aid and go with some Benadryl."

"Sure thing." Wilson couldn't help but feel like a little kid who had just been reprimanded. He knew Cuddy had the right to be upset with him for overlooking such an obvious cause of Greg's current problems but couldn't help but resent her condescending mannerism toward him. One would think the whole house was a disaster and…he paused and looked around the kitchen. Okay, so maybe the house was a little messy. Maybe he could use a little help. But still…

"James? Are you okay?"

"Sorry. Just thinking."

"Oookay. Well, I'll see you two tomorrow." She leaned over and gave Greg a quick hug. "I hope you feel better sweetie. You know, your tummy might feel better if you eat something. Why don't you see if Wilson will let you have a little vanilla ice cream after I leave?"

"Mine ice cream?" Greg looked at Wilson hopefully.

"See you tomorrow Lisa." Wilson smiled sheepishly, feeling like a complete idiot.


	16. Chapter 16

**As promised, chap 16 too! =) Disclaimer here and enjoy (hopefully) **

"How old is this dog?" Cameron asked as she waited for Wilson to help Greg up onto the exam table.

"Old." Wilson frowned. "Really, you wouldn't be interested. He's really old, he chews on everything…he isn't even fully housebroken. I'm really sorry you had to get rid of your cat though. I'll keep my eye out for puppy ads when I'm going through the paper."

"Chase doesn't want me to get another pet. Not after the cat."

"Bad kitty." Greg agreed as he tried to wiggle his way out of Wilson's reach. He looked down and pointed at his own pet, who sat quietly next to Wilson's feet. "Good Dusty."

"Dusty is a good doggy." Cameron agreed. "I hear you haven't been so good lately though. Not eating for Wilson isn't very good at all. How can you have energy to beat Pokemon if you don't eat anything?"

Greg frowned. "No nom."

"Talk like a big guy, Greg." Cameron reprimanded gently. "I can't understand you when you talk like that. I need to know where it hurts so I can help you. Where does it hurt?"

"Mine tummy." Greg put on his best mournful expression as he pointed down to his belly.

It was Wilson's turn to frown now. "He didn't say anything to me about his stomach bothering him. He just refused anything that didn't come in a sports bottle. All he's wanted the past week is juice and chocolate milk."

"It's fine." Cameron reassured. "Let him speak for himself. I'm not trying to be rude but it's best if he explains how he's feeling." Wilson nodded a little curtly and took a seat in the corner. "Does it hurt anywhere else Greg?"

The older man shook his head, looking over at Wilson for conformation this time. "It's okay, buddy. Just tell Dr. Cameron how you've been feeling."

"Mine Cammie." Greg already seemed to have perked up a little after skipping the last dose of the medication. He squirmed as Cameron took his vitals and finished up the exam.

"No fever, no signs of any pain besides an upset stomach." Cameron smiled at Wilson. "I think Cuddy was right. I'll prescribe him something for the upset stomach and readjust his other medications according to his weight. Once he gains everything back we'll readjust them again. He should be fine."

"Thank god." Wilson let out a sigh of relief. "Let's go Greg. You want to hold Dusty's leash?"

"Wait, Wilson." Cameron intercepted the exiting trio at the door. "When can I meet this dog?"

"You honestly want to meet Hector? I thought Chase didn't want any more pets?"

"He doesn't." Cameron confirmed. "But if we were taking Hector to help you out, well…"

"Bye-bye Bad Woofy." Greg smiled.

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"Wilson! Look! Mine fish!" The oncologist was surprised how quickly Greg had become reanimated after the adjustment of his medication. It hadn't even been a day yet and the older man was back to his usual, alert self. He was glad to see his friend was feeling better but felt guilty for not figuring out the problem sooner. Cuddy was right about him needing extra help. "Look Wilson! Red fish!"

Wilson smiled as Greg sat further up in his wheelchair to get a better look at the goldfish swimming in the large pet store aquarium. "Those are goldfish buddy. And they aren't yours; they belong to the pet store."

Greg had already forgotten about the fish and was pointing out a fat teddy bear hamster running in a wheel. Cuddy laughed at the older man's sudden enthusiasm over the animal kingdom. "You should get him a goldfish, James. An aquarium would look nice in his bedroom."

"This coming from the lady who wants me to dump my ancient dog on Dr Cameron because I already have too much responsibly and need to downsize?" Wilson raised an eyebrow.

"There is a huge difference between a fish and a dog who chews everything it can get its jaws on." Cuddy scoffed. "Besides, I'm sure you can get your new housekeeper to clean the tank for you. When Rachel gets older I plan on getting her a pet, as long as it's one that can breathe underwater." She looked down at Rachel who sat quietly in her stroller munching on a graham cracker.

"So I should get you a dog in scuba gear and a swim suit?" Wilson answered wryly.

"Dusty go swimming?" Greg looked down at his dog in confusion causing both Cuddy and Wilson to start laughing. Greg laughed too even though he had no clue why what he said was so funny.

"Seriously, we should stop back here on our way out and get him a few fish." Cuddy pointed at a display of small fish tanks. "One of those would look nice in his room. You want some goldfish, right sweetie?"

"Mine snake!" Greg said excitedly, pointing to a huge Boa Constrictor napping safely behind glass.

"I don't think so, buddy." Wilson frowned, pushing Greg in the other direction. "I'll think about the fish, okay?"

"Bear!" Rachel finally spoke up as she finished her graham cracker, spotting a toy store across the way.

"Mine bear!" Greg chimed in, forgetting the entire pet store as he too noticed there was a toy store in the general proximity. "Wilson! Look! Toys!"

"Oh great." Wilson replied sarcastically. "Whose idea was it to come to the mall again?"

"Shut up." Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I thought you needed to get out of the house and Rachel needed a new pair of shoes. How was I supposed to know they would want to bring the rest of the mall home with us?"

"Honestly I'm just glad Greg is feeling better. I can get him back into his classes and get back to work. I'm sure he misses music and swim classes as much as I miss seeing some of my patients…not to mention having a conversation that doesn't involve ducks or 'Bad Woofies'."

"Bye-bye Bad Woofy." Greg mumbled before settling into humming a little song about the aforementioned terrier leaving on a trip that somehow involved fish and teddy bears. Wilson shook his head at his friend's impromptu little gibberish tune and quickly pushed him past the toy store while he was still distracted.

"What you need is a vacation." Cuddy pointed out. "You need to get away and just relax for a few days."

"Don't taunt me with that." Wilson grimaced, thumbing through a display of cartoon themed t-shirts. "Can you believe they make a Tigger t-shirt in Greg's size? It's perfect for Greg but what kind of normal grown man would wear this kind of thing?" He grabbed the shirt and hung it of off one the wheelchair's handle bars.

Cuddy wrinkled up her nose. "You're really going to dress him in that? He'll look ridiculous. If you have go with cartoon characters at least go with the polo shirts over there. They have little cartoon characters on the pocket. And I'm serious. You really could use a vacation."

"There's nothing wrong with Tigger. I mean I wouldn't wear it but Greg was always wearing some kind of silly t-shirt. As for the vacation, unless you have some kind of plan you haven't informed me of…"

"Greg's shirts had logos and band names on them, not cartoon characters. And I bought a trip to Florida at the last charity auction. God knows what I was thinking…like I'd ever have time to use it. It expires in a few weeks and…"

"Lisa, I can't take your vacation from you. It's a nice offer but…"

"Do you ever let anyone finish speaking?" Cuddy rolled her eyes. "The vacation is for two. I thought we could both use the break after everything that's happened in the past…well it's been a long time since either of has gotten to relax. There just happens to be a medical convention in the same area in two weeks. I thought we could mix work and play so we could both get paid for our vacation and not waste any of our time off we might need to care for sick…" Cuddy paused, choosing her wording carefully. "…dependents."

"Wow. Wow. I don't know what to say."

"Say you'll come with me. Being the dean of medicine I already approved both of our attendance at the convention. I also already booked us two adjoining hotel rooms." She smiled softly at James. "Now put back that hideous t-shirt."

"Wilson?" Greg dropped the juice box he had been sipping at in his lap and looked up urgently at his friend.

"What is it buddy?" Wilson idly put the t-shirt back on the display and started thumbing through the rack of polo shirts Cuddy had pointed out earlier.

"Wilson!" Greg repeated a little more urgently.

"What is it, Greg?" Wilson moved away from the shirts to look over at his friend. Dusty whined and pawed at Wilson's shoe, concerned by the stress in his master's tone. "Do you want more juice?"

"No juice." Greg crossed his arms and stuck out his lip, looking wistfully out into the main corridor of the mall. "Mine…"He paused and looked up at Wilson hopefully.

"We need to get you back into speech classes, buddy." Wilson ruffled his friend's hair, eliciting a snort of frustration from Greg. "Sorry to tell you but I'm not a mind reader."

"No read book." Greg shifted in his chair and looked helplessly over at Cuddy and Rachel. "Mine…" He began to sniffle and look pathetically up at Wilson. "Bad." He sniffed.

Wilson knelt down so he was eye level with his friend. "Oh, buddy. It's okay. What do you need? Can you point to it for me?"

Greg shook his head. "Maybe it's time for us to go home. We've been here for awhile now." Cuddy interjected.

"Maybe." Wilson agreed uncertainly. "Is that it, bud? Do you want to go home?"

"Yes home." Greg agreed quietly, pulling out the straw to the juice box and putting it in his mouth. Half the juice dumped down his front before Dusty leaped up and grabbed the leaking container from his master's lap.

"Oh Greg." Wilson pulled a few tissues from a backpack hanging from the back of Greg's chair and futilely tried to mop up some of the apple juice from the now crying man's shirt and lap.

"So about that vacation?" Cuddy asked as Rachel decided that because Greg was crying that she might as well join in.

"Well…" Wilson gave up on the napkins and started to push Greg towards the nearest exit. "I'll think about it."


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay, so it took me awhile to update due to a plague of visitors that descended upon my household this past week..thankfully they have all returned to fiery chasms from whence they came (of course I jest, we had a great time but it is nice to be able to reclaim my home!). Hopefully the update was worth the wait! Reviews are much appreciated, just like candy! Sorry for such a long wait, hope you enjoy! =) Any spelling/grammar mistakes can be blamed on my foster beagle, Gracie, who likes to howl at inopportune moments... like when I am checking for errors. **

"No! No! Bad Chase! Mine Bad Woofy!" Greg lay on the floor griping tightly to the bottom of the carrier that Chase was fruitlessly trying to get past the threshold of the Wilson-House residence. Dusty wasn't making things any easier for the Aussie as he stood in behind him barking and nipping at the young man's heels.

Chase sighed and dropped the carrier containing a very irritated old terrier. "Maybe I should just leave the dog here. Cameron and I are already dropping in to take care of Greg's fish while you're gone. We'll just drop by a bit more often to check on the dog."

Wilson shook his head and turned to House. "Let go Greg. Now. You don't even like Hector. Remember how he chewed up your new shoes?"

Greg sat up, crossed his arms and stuck out his lower lip. "Bad Woofy eat mine shoes. Mine shoes." He let go of the carrier just long enough for Chase to quickly slip out the front door and close it behind him without catching Greg's fingers. "Where Woofy go?"

"He's going on vacation, remember? He's going to have a great time staying with Chase and Cameron." Wilson took a seat on the floor next to his friend. "You get to go on vacation too, until I get back. Won't that be fun?"

"No." Greg frowned and looked down at the floor. Before Chase had arrived to remove Hector Greg had spent most of his day unpacking suitcases. He had also hidden Wilson's car keys twice and filled Wilson's shoes with toy cars in a vain attempt to prevent Wilson from leaving. "You no go. Bad Wilson."

Wilson sighed. Although he was excited about the prospect of relaxing on a beach he couldn't help but feel guilty leaving Greg at the hated rehab facility for a whole week. He felt even worse about telling Greg the trip to the facility was going to be his 'vacation'. Wilson had tried to find somewhere a bit more pleasant for House to stay while he was gone but finding anywhere that would watch someone with Greg's disabilities 24/7 was not easy. Even the rehab facility was going to cost him an arm and leg. "Come on buddy; let's go repack your suitcase. We leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Greg moved irritably into the bedroom, plopping down on a chair and ignoring Wilson in favor of Dusty and his new goldfish. "Mine Dusty. Mine fish." The blue eyed man played with Dusty's ears until Wilson was nearly done repacking the large Sponge Bob suitcase sitting on the bed. A sly grin spread across his face as he moved over to the bed and tipped the suitcase on its side. "Boo!" He giggled as Wilson frowned and started repack the bag.

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"Have you ever considered taking a job as a professional mourner?" Cuddy asked sarcastically as Wilson tried to concentrate less on the guilt of leaving House behind and more on the road in front of him.

"Very funny." Wilson mumbled as he merged into the heavy freeway traffic. "You didn't have to see the look on his face when I dropped him off. It was like one of those sad 'driving away scenes' in a movie complete with the tears and the face pressed against the window."

"Yours or his?" Cuddy rolled her eyes. "You can't feel guilty every time you have to leave, James. Sometimes you need the time to yourself. We all do."

"So you're telling me you didn't feel the least bit guilty leaving Rachel with her nanny?"

"No…well a little. She would have loved the beach." Cuddy sighed. "I've never taken her on a real vacation. The closest thing she's ever seen to Florida is sandbox in the backyard." She frowned and rolled down the passenger side window. "Will you knock it off? Your guilt is contagious. I'm starting to seriously consider leaving you at the next rest stop."

Wilson managed a small chuckle. "It wouldn't be the first time someone ditched me. This one time House and I decided to drive cross country to California. Halfway there…" Wilson paused and cleared his throat as he stopped at a red light. "He said he hated me when I left him today."

"He did not." Cuddy found herself rolling her eyes again.

"It was close enough. He told me I was 'bad' and that I was a 'stupid sponge'."

Cuddy burst out laughing. "You think he hates you because he called you a sponge?"

"Well it isn't exactly a compliment." Wilson grouched.

"If it makes you feel any better Rachel was so upset about me leaving she wouldn't even let me hug her goodbye. She spent all yesterday trying to hide my keys and cell phone so I couldn't leave. I felt horrible..."

"You know, it's not too late to go back…"

"James, don't. I feel awful about leaving her for so long but…"

"So you'd feel better if you went back and got her? I'll cover any of the extra expenses…"

Cuddy shook her head. "And people always thought House was the manipulative one."

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"Mine Wilson!" Greg's face lit up like a candle as he saw his friend walk in the door. He hadn't moved from his spot near the window, only letting go of his death grip on Dusty's leash as Wilson grew nearer to the bean bag chair he had glued himself to. Grinning, the older man turned to the red haired attendant who sat next to him. "Look Molly, mine Wilson."

The freckle faced women turned and smiled at the sandy haired doctor towering over her. "So you're the famous Wilson? Your buddy here has told me all about you."

Wilson laughed. "All good things, I hope."

"Normally, yes. Today it was more along the lines of 'bad', 'stupid', and the like. I don't think I've ever seen him this upset. Is there a reason you're back so soon? Forget something?"

"I did." Wilson moved closer to Greg. "Come on buddy. We've got to go home and repack your bags if you're coming to Florida with me."

House's eyes grew wide. "Me?" He pointed at himself in disbelief.

"You and Dusty." Wilson confirmed with a smile."Unless you rather…" Greg was heading for the door before Wilson couldn't even finish his sentence.

"Bye-bye Molly. I go bye!"

"Have fun." Molly called out to Greg and Dusty's quickly retreating backsides. She turned to Wilson. "Good luck. You're braver than I am."

"He'll have fun." Wilson assured as he quickly gathered Greg's things.

"Oh I'm sure he will." Molly shook her head as the doctor headed for the door. "You on the other hand…" Wilson was gone before the attendant could finish.

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A few minutes later Wilson found himself waiting in Cuddy's driveway with an overexcited Greg bouncing around in the backseat. "Beach! Crabs! Sand!" He recited happily as he shifted from one side of the seat in the rented van to the other. "Beach! Fish! Shark!"

"I sure hope we don't see any sharks, buddy. You need to calm down. Look, here comes Lisa and Rachel." He pointed to the driveway where Lisa led an exuberant little girl to the side of the van.

"Hi Rachel! Mine beach!" He pointed to the pile of luggage stowed behind the backseat. "I go. You go. Even Dusty!"

"Yay!" Rachel giggled, squirming as her mother moved her aside so she could set up Rachel's car seat.

"Calm down, honey." Cuddy said gently as she got her daughter settled in the car seat. "It's a long drive before we get to any beaches."

"Beach!" Rachel giggled.

"You realize this trip makes us both certifiably insane right?" Cuddy turned to Wilson, who was fumbling with a map in the front seat.

"I'm sure it will be…ouch!" Wilson rubbed the back of his head as Greg's teddy beach ricocheted back into the backseat. "Fun. Do you have everything or do you need help loading things?"

"I think I'm prepared as I can be." Cuddy replied as she wedged some more bags into the back.

"Shark!" House yelled as tossed the bear at Wilson's head again. "Yes shark!" Dusty barked in agreement.

"Oh boy." Wilson said quietly, wondering if he was prepared for what he had gotten himself into.

**author's note: So I considered letting Wilson and Cuddy have a nice, relaxing trip to Florida...they've earned it right? But then I thought why let Wilson relax? It is way more fun making him take Greg and Rachel along for the ride...whahaha (I am mean, poor Wilson)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Thanks to all of the great reviews, I decided to update right away. =) Hopefully my time line here isn't too off, I am using the always less than reliable Mapquest as a my main reference, lol. Anyhow, thanks to everyone who has read and/or reviewed so far! Hopefuly you find this chapter enjoyable. =) If I don't update before then, early happy US Independence day!! Hope everyone who celebrates has a fun and safe holiday! Now to the chapter:**

They had only been on the road for two hours when the whining started coming from the back seat. Wilson's 'drive there and fly home' plan had seemed so brilliant when he had come up with it. It would give them a chance to take in some scenery on the way there but not force anyone to endure a long, tired drive home. Somehow House kicking the back of his seat was causing Wilson to question not only his own plan but his sanity as well. This was going to be a long drive. "Greg, knock it off."

"Wilson! Mine hungry!" Greg only kicked harder. He pressed his face against the window, apparently scanning the streets for fast food restaurants. "Look! Wilson! Look!" He pointed at a McDonalds that was rapidly disappearing in the distance. As the eatery vanished from sight the older man stuck out his lower lip and sniffed. "Mine hungry."

"I promise we'll stop at the next burger place we pass. Please stop kicking the back of my seat." Wilson replied patiently, trying to keep his eyes on traffic. "Let me know when you see one coming up, okay?"

Cuddy sighed. "There's another McDonalds about two miles from here." She peeked back at Rachel, who had somehow managed to fall asleep in her car seat despite the racket from Greg and the occasional whimper from Dusty. "Rachel will probably need a diaper change by then." She turned to Greg. "Do you want some goldfish crackers and juice?"

"No juice." Greg's eyes were fixed on view out the van window, his hand clamped tightly around one of Dusty's floppy ears. The little dog sat uncomfortably wedged between Greg and Rachel with hardly any room to move. He looked up at Cuddy with big mournful eyes that clearly read _are we there yet?_

"Maybe we should stop sooner." Cuddy studied the forlorn spaniel. "I think the dog needs to stretch his…"

"Wilson! Look!" House thumped on the window as another fast food location came into sight. Wilson sighed to himself as he pulled off at the nearest exit. He was definitely doubting his sanity now.

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"I'll have one kid's meal and…"

"I'm sorry, sir. The kid's meal is only for kids ages twelve and under." The greasy haired fast food employee droned at Wilson. The teenage boy sounded as if he were reading from a script, one written specifically to annoy an already agitated and self-doubting Wilson. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

"The kid's meal isn't for me. It's for my friend." Wilson waved an irritable hand over at House, who stood next to Wilson fidgeting with a container of ketchup packets on the counter.

The kids stared at Wilson, dropping the droned script in his surprise. "You think I'm going to believe some old guy is under the age of twelve? Are you high?"

"What? No! My friend here has…hang on a minute." Greg had started to wander away from the counter over to a display of the various sized paper cups one could choose from. Wilson quickly grabbed the other man by the back of his corduroys, accidentally revealing the top of Greg's underpants.

"Wilson!" Greg gave his friend an irritated glare before huffily returning to the counter and the ketchup packets.

"Sorry about that." Wilson tried for a polite smile. "Now will you please just sell me the kid's meal so we can finish ordering?"

"I'm sorry. I can't sell you a kids meal. We have an adult combo meal that has all same food, just no toy." The kid pointed at the lighted menu behind him.

"My friend wants the toy." Wilson's usually calm demeanor crumbled. He wanted to reach over the counter and shake the kid for turning something so simple into something difficult.

The kid looked at Wilson like he was from Mars. "Um...I could sell you a toy."

"Fine. How about this? I'll have a small cheeseburger, a small fries, and chocolate milk. And I will pay extra for you to stick them in a bag with a toy. Does that work?" The brown eyed doctor glanced over at Greg. The blue eyed man smiled back as he carefully arranged the ketchup packets into small piles.

"Um…okay." The poor kid now looked a bit frightened. "Can I get anything else for you today?"

"Yes. A chicken sandwich." Wilson paid and led Greg over to the table where Lisa and Rachel sat already munching on their meals before the kid at the counter could mumble 'have a nice day'.

"Everything okay?" Lisa asked as she helped Greg get settled at the table.

"Next time remind me to go through the drive-thru." Wilson frowned. He was now certain there was no way he could make it through this trip with his sanity, if he even had any to begin with, still intact.

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Five stops later Wilson found himself navigating the freeway in an area he had deemed the Nowheresville between Jersey and Florida. He was pretty sure they were somewhere in the Carolinas by now but since Cuddy had drifted off to sleep he had no way of checking a map without causing a potential accident.

"Wilson?" A quiet whisper came from the back seat.

"What is it buddy?"

"Mine sleepy." A loud yawn was followed by the sounds of shifting and trying to get comfortable in a small space. Dusty yelped as Greg sat on his tail. "Mine Rachel and Lisa all sleep."

"I know buddy." Wilson answered quietly. "We're going to stop for the night at the next motel, okay? Why don't you lay back and close your eyes?"

"Moe-tell?" Greg's voice got a little louder and took on a distinct strain of unease.

"Don't worry, bud. A motel is like a house…they have beds." The sandy haired doctor up front paused, searching for the right description. "It's like a bedroom that you stay in until you get home."

"Home?" House asked, his blue eyes flashing in the dark.

"Not yet buddy. We haven't even gotten to the beach yet." The younger man started scanning the side of the road for lodging signs.

"Sharks." House murmured sleepily as he laid his head against the window.

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"Come on buddy, we're here." Wilson gently led his half conscious companion into the small motel room and helped him onto the twin bed. The older man instantly fell back to sleep the moment his head hit a soft surface. "Big day, huh? I'm going to help Lisa get Rachael out of the van and I'll be right back." The only response Wilson received was a soft snore from Greg and a quick tail wag from Dusty, who had quickly joined his master on the cramped motel room mattress.

"Hello retro." Lisa joked as she carried a sleepy Rachel in from the van. The room was decorated in various vintage shades of greens, oranges, and browns and had wall to wall shag carpeting. The walls and bedspreads were covered in a bright swirling retro floral pattern that left Wilson feeling as if he were aboard the Yellow Submarine in a bad Beatles related flashback.

"Sorry." He apologized as Lisa got Rachel changed into her pajamas. "It was the only place that still had vacancy. Apparently the Regional Convention of Corgi Lovers is in town and they booked up all of the remaining motel rooms."

Lisa laughed. "It's fine, James. A little small but fine. Rachel and I are used to sharing a bed, thanks to the monster that apparently alternates between living under her bed and in the closet." She looked over at the other bed where Greg and Dusty lay comfortably sprawled out across the comforter. "Where are you planning on sleeping?"

"I guess I'll take the couch." He nodded towards a moth-eaten orange and yellow striped couch wedged into the corner. "Fitting. That's where I usually end up sleeping at home fifty percent of the time."

"Are you sure? I could…"

"It's fine." Wilson reassured. He moved over to the bed where Greg had passed out. "Greg, wake up. You need to change into your jammies, bud."

"No jammies." Greg mumbled as he sat up and held up his arms. He was back to sleep before Wilson had even finished dressing him.

"Good night buddy." Wilson leaned over and gave his slumbering friend a quick hug before covering him with a blanket. As he headed towards the couch he paused and peeked over at Lisa and Rachael who were sound to sleep in the other bed. Taking in the peaceful scene, the oncologist couldn't help but smile to himself. Who needed sanity anyway?


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry this took me so long to post...my father-in-law has been sick and had to be transferred to the hospital yesterday so it has been kind of crappy/busy around here. On a happier note the doctors are pretty sure he is going to be okay...but anyway enough with my personal life and on to the fic! Thanks to everyone has been reading/reviewing! Hope you all find this update enjoyable! =) *disclaimer says I don't own House, any of his friends, the movie Marley and Me or any other trademark thing that happens to show up in this fic. Just borrowing and will put back when done.*  
**

"Marley!" Wilson nearly rolled off of the small, musty couch he had been sleeping on as he woke to the sound of the television. Greg and Rachel sat on the floor in their pajamas eating out of a bowl of Cheerios placed in between them. The pair giggled as a large yellow Labrador raced across the TV screen after apparently stealing a pair of its owner's underwear.

"Is this movie okay for kids?" Wilson sat up and rubbed his eyes. Cuddy was already repacking suitcases and loading them back into the van with an overexcited Dusty prancing at her heels.

"It's rated PG." Cuddy shrugged as she pulled some clothes out of a bag on the bed. "It can't be any worse than Old Yeller. Greg, come get your clothes. We need to get dressed so we can get going."

"No dressed." Greg whined, shoving another handful of Cheerios into his mouth. "I watch Marley. Mine bad puppy."

"He is a bad puppy." Cuddy agreed as the dog on the screen proceeded to tear up a pair of socks. "But you're being bad too. You need to turn off the TV and come get dressed." Greg grudgingly got up and huffed his way over to where his former boss was standing. He scowled as he put up his arms and waited for Cuddy to dress him. "No, sweetie. You can do it yourself. Take your clothes in the bathroom and go get dressed."

"Yoooouuuu." House whined, letting the pile of clothes drop to the floor.

"Lisa, I can…" Wilson started.

"No. He's perfectly capable of doing it himself." Lisa interrupted firmly. She turned to the unhappy man standing next to her in his pajamas. "I mean it. Get moving. And no playing in the sink or the tub." To Wilson's surprise Greg picked up the clothes and limped off into the other room without another word of protest. He returned a few seconds later wearing a frown and a backwards polo shirt.

"Good job buddy!" Wilson gave his friend a big hug after helping him turn his shirt in the right direction. "I'm proud of you."

"Mine Marley." House grumbled as he stared at the now blank TV screen. Wilson chuckled and ruffled the older man's hair as he picked up a suitcase and headed back out to the waiting van.

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"Mommy!" Rachael bawled from her car seat. The novelty of riding in the van had long since worn off and both the Rachael and Greg had become exceedingly grumpy as a result. Any attempt at distraction from the passengers up front was completely in vain as the sound of Rachael's crying filled the van.

"Maybe we should stop." Cuddy suggested desperately. "She might need her diaper changed. Do you need mommy to change you sweetie?" The only response was more crying from Rachael and a loud whimper from Dusty who was quite obviously fed up with all the noise.

"We just stopped a half hour ago…" Rachael's crying reached a crescendo. "…let's stop. I saw a sign for a park a few miles back." Wilson sighed as he pulled off at the closest exit. At least stopping again would mean a break from Greg kicking the back of his seat. The rhythmic kicking was starting to give Wilson a headache. "Do you want to stop buddy?"

"Marley." The older man was still pouting about the movie they had left behind at the motel room.

"What about ducks? There might be a few at this park." Wilson pointed out as he pulled into the parking lot. The park looked pleasant enough with a swing set and a few covered picnic areas. "I think I see a little pond over that hill."

"I'm going to take Rachael over to the restroom and see if she needs a change." Cuddy quickly extracted the wailing child from her car seat and headed over to a stone building containing the bathrooms. Dusty climbed out of the van and stretched, happy to no longer be wedged between two unhappy individuals.

Greg slid out of the van at the sight of the playground, limping as quickly as he could across the parking lot. "Look Wilson! Swings!" Wilson shook his head at the ridiculous sight of a 6'3 man sitting on a children's swing, his long legs dragging across the ground as he tried to get the swing to go higher.

"I think you might be a little too big for that, buddy."

"You swing too, Wilson." Greg pointed to the empty swing next to him. "Please?"

Wilson hesitated, quickly spotting Lisa and Rachael returning from the bathrooms. Rachael had stopped crying and ran over to where Wilson was standing. "HI!" The little girl stood next to the oncologist and smiled.

Cuddy looked up at the sky. "We should probably get going. It's going to be getting dark soon. Rachael should be much happier now, huh sweetie? Come on, Greg. Let's go."

"No." The blue eyed man on the swing dug his shoe into the playground bark and stuck out his lower lip.

"Greg." Wilson warned firmly. House just stuck out his tongue. The younger man looked over at Lisa and shrugged. "Maybe we should just let him stay a little longer. He has been sitting in that van for awhile now."

"Let me deal with this." Lisa picked up Rachael and handed her to Wilson. "Take Rachael and Dusty back to the van." She marched over to the swing set as Wilson headed off to the parking lot with her daughter and the little spaniel in tow. "Come on Greg, time to go."

"No." Blue eyes flashed defiantly as Greg gripped to the chains on the swing.

"Yes. Now. It's time to leave." Cuddy reached over to grab House's hand and was shocked as he leaned over and sunk his teeth into the side of her palm. "Ouch, Greg! That hurt! We do not bite."

"Yes bite." Greg's devilish grin almost reminded Lisa of the old House who refused to make up his time in the clinic and mocked her in the halls. Quickly shaking that thought from her head the dean of medicine reach out again and gave Greg a quick but hard slap on the back of the hand. The grin slipped from his face as his eyes filled with tears. "Ouch! Bad Lisa! No hit!"

"That hurt didn't it? It hurt when you bit me too. That's why we don't bite, okay? Do you understand?" Greg nodded tearfully as he got up off of the swing for a hug. Lisa had to reach up to wipe the tears from her former employee's face. He looked painfully childish with tear stains on both cheeks and dirt on his Cookie Monster polo shirt from wiping the tears from his hands. "No more biting?"

"No bite." Greg agreed mournfully as he followed Cuddy back to the van. He climbed placidly into the back seat and allowed a concerned Wilson to buckle his seatbelt and hand him his teddy bear.

"Is he okay? He looks like he was crying."

"He's fine. We just had a little talk about why biting people isn't nice. Right Greg?"

"No bite." House began to chew on his lower lip and stare out the window. He smiled as he noticed a bird waddling its way across the parking lot. "Look Lisa! Duck!"

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It was late evening when the van finally pulled into the parking lot of a posh looking Florida resort. Wilson was too exhausted to notice the stylish buildings or the signs directing visitors to the private beach and large indoor/outdoor pools. The brown eyed man was half asleep as he grabbed a suitcase and led a drowsy Greg and equally sleepy Dusty to the check-in counter. "We're here to check into rooms 202 and 203. It should be under the names James Wilson and Lisa Cuddy."

There was the brief sound of fingers pecking at a keyboard before two room cards hit the counter. The man behind the counter raised his eye at the sight of the dog but quickly noticed the animal's service vest. "Rooms 202 and 203 are down the hall and to your left. I hope you enjoy your stay."

As Wilson led Greg down the hall his friend became suddenly animated. "Look Wilson! Look! Fish!" He pointed to a large tank of brightly colored tropical fish in the lobby. "Look! Shark!" A painting of a Great White shark adorned the hallway as they headed towards their room.

"Pretty exciting." Lisa smiled as she caught up, trying not to wake the sleeping little girl in her arms. "What do you think, James?"

"It's nice." Wilson smiled groggily. "I'm sure I'll enjoy it more after a good night's sleep. It's been a long drive."

"The rooms are connected by a living room so Rachael and Greg can sit and watch TV in the morning. I'll see if I can find that dog movie again on pay per view. You just sleep in and relax. I forgot to tell you that Rachael's nanny is meeting us tomorrow morning. She's staying in another hotel up the street but will be able to watch the kids…I mean the kid and Greg…during the day so we can relax a little."

"Wow. Thanks Lisa. This is…you really didn't have to go through all this trouble."

"I'll see you two in the morning. The hotel valet is bringing in the rest of our bags." Lisa smiled and carefully headed into her room with the sleeping child in her arms.

Wilson stood in the hall rubbing his eyes for a minute before opening the door to the room that he and House would be sharing. "Well, this sure beats the motel we stayed in last night, huh buddy?"

"Sharks." Greg replied happily as he sunk down into a plush tropical themed bed.

"I don't think there are any…" Wilson paused. Greg was already asleep, curled up with Dusty amongst the oversized pillows on the bed. Wilson stretched out on the other bed and decided to enjoy the peace and quiet for a moment before waking his friend to change him into his pajamas.

**Author's note: If you haven't seen the movie Marley and Me yet...see it! It is really cute. Just be sure to have a box of tissue handy along with your popcorn.**


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